Gross Common Cosmetic Ingredients...are they in your skin care?

So this is something I find fascinating and fun- gross, common cosmetic ingredients! I was literally in the treatment room of Woodlands Wellness (before I moved) telling my client about some of these to distract her from the discomfort of laser hair removal, and we laughed so hard. I decided it would be a perfect blog topic for the same reason!

Please know that this is meant to be entertaining only and I will not be naming actual products as I do not want to get in trouble. The photos are obviously not mine either, and I linked them to original sources to cover myself. Ok! Let's begin.

1. Whale Poop

Well…..either whale poop or vomit can commonly be found in expensive perfumes. Its technical name is ambergris. Ambergris is a waxy, yellow, solid substance that lines the intestines of Sperm whales. It is suspected to protect them from sharp objects that they may swallow. It is the “gold of the sea” because its estimated earning potential is $10,000 for one pound.

2. Crushed Parasitic Beetles

Cochineal Beetles (Dactylopius Coccus) are tiny insects that feed on cactus plants and eat their red berries. When the beetles are crushed, they are red and dye is produced from their guts.....or, as I read on some sources say that the dye can be extracted.......the first one is way funnier. Anywho! It is safe for a majority of people so it’s a favorite of large companies. It can be found in lipstick, ice cream, candy, yogurt and eye shadow. Starbucks even used it at one time (until the vegans found out, that is). It is disguised as carmine, chochineal extract or natural red 4.

3. Roadkill

This is no joke. It’s for real!!!!!!!!! GASP (personal side note- this one actually makes me think of the time my ever-so-handy, adorable, amazing father made my Mom turn the car around to pick up a beaver carcass on the side of the road for its fur. He uses it to make flies to fish with! lol) 

Anyhow, animal carcasses are boiled and their fat bubbles up to the top. That glorious fatty substance that emerges is called tallow and is a common ingredient in many of your favorite cosmetics such as: eye make up, lipstick (haha you eat it!), foundation, shampoo, soap, moisturizer and skin care products. It's an extensive list! 

4. Bull Semen

Not as common as the others listed, but gross enough to make my list! Due to high protein content, bull semen has become a specialty salon treatment and can be found in high end products that deliver “healing” properties. Naturallycurly.com referred to it as “Viagra for hair”

5. Snail Ooze

I personally find this disgusting but fascinating! Side note-at home, we once prepared a salad from the family garden for dinner. I was so excited! We were all sitting around the dining room table talking, As I spoke, I stabbed a fork full of lettuce and continued talking with my hands…. After a moment or two of yabbering on, I looked to take that scrumptious bite of homemade deliciousness to see a slug climbing up the fork toward me. Gross! That’s what I think of on this one. Lol

So back to my point, snail ooze is used as an ingredient in many moisturizers. Snails produce glycolic acid and elastin naturally in their secretions to protect its own skin from cuts, bacteria and UV rays. Remember the snail facials? Now I understand why they existed.

Apparently this one has been around since the days of ancient Greece. Hippocrates reportedly prescribed a mixture of sour milk and crushed snails for skin inflammation. I am such a nerd for these type of details but I love it. Hope you do too.

6. Fish Scales

Guanine is the technical nail and it is a light reflective material found in mascara and finger nail polish most commonly, but can also be found in lip stick. It is ground up fish scales and it is not surprising that it produces a shimmering color.It is a surprising ingredient, but this one doesn’t gross me out too bad because I fish. Regardless, I thought it was worth mentioning.

7. Fetal Foreskin

Yep! You read that correctly. Little baby penises on your face. Literally!  I may be guilty of testing this one out myself and I must say, the product delivers. It is an anti-aging ingredient that uses a combination of soluble collagen, antioxidants, natural growth factors (hint: foreskin) and matrix proteins (hint hint) that they claim will slow the aging process and encourage new cell growth. It is actually a derivative of the foreskin, but its kinda funny isn't it?

8. Sheep Wool Wax

This is one I have grossed people out over for years! Lanolin. It can be found in almost every lip product. Take a look. It is also in lotion, balms, nipple soothing cream and shaving cream.

Lanolin is collected from sheep wool and the animal isn’t actually harmed for the process. It is a greasy, waxy substance that emerges once the sheep wool has been boiled after shearing. 

Vitamin C for your skin

Hey sun bunnies! Here's an easy way to manage the damage you get this summer. Apply Vitamin C under your daily sunscreen and self tan at night for a healthy, skin kissed glow without the damage! (If you're going to tan your face anyway *sigh* then use Vitamin C to "manage the damage" lol)

I'm going to focus on Vitamin C in this post BECAUSE I have some Vitamin C to give away!!!! To enter the contest, comment on my blog, state your skin type (oily, dry, combination) and why you deserve to win. I will be giving away 1 Skinceuticals Phloretin and 1 Sanavi Cascading C Serum to the lucky winner!!! Thank you Skinceuticals and Sanavi for being so good to us!!!! ❤️ #gratitude

One of the ways that our skin keeps itself renewed and youthful looking is through the production of a protein called collagen. I'm sure you have heard of it. As we age, our skin just doesn't produce as much collagen as it did in our younger years. Less collagen = more signs of skin aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, etc... 

Vitamin C has been proven to support collagen synthesis BUT it has to be applied topically and in the correct molecular structure. If it's too big to penetrate deep enough, it sits on the surface and costs you a fortune, so choose wisely. 

Vitamin C has been shown to help:  

• Calm skin
• Brighten skin
• Retain moisture without making you oily
• Support the skin’s natural defenses against harmful UV damage
• Enhancing healing (think post acne marks)
• Stabilize Vitamin E

Info on the goodies:

Phloretin (Skinceuticals) is a superior Vitamin C product that works well on all skins, including oily skin. It has many more antioxidants than just Vitamin C alone, but it is heavy on the C. It is super potent and very effective. It's molecular structure dives deep into the skin allowing it to repair and correct damage where it's needed the most. It's also going to give more sun protection than sunscreen alone. Value $162

Sanavi Cascading C Serum is also a superior antioxidant cocktail heavy on the Vitamin C. It's molecular structure is a little larger, but still small enough to penetrate skin, allowing more sensitive skins to use it with no irritation. This one is more nourishing and ideal for dry, sensitive or intolerant skin. It's also going to protect you from the sun more than sunscreen alone and fight environmental damage. Value $85

Flawless Finish

Ever wonder how celebrities look so amazing? That fresh, dewy glow probably isn't the way they wake up. I know most human beings, especially after 20, are not designed to wake up flawless. Granted a good skin care regimen is totally necessary but there are a few, choice treatments that can help you to fake that flawless glow.

Just before an event, a special date or just because, there are treatments that offer an immediate improvement.

A subtle glow beneath a flawless finish can be achieved by a dermaplane with a hydrafacial finish. The dermaplane smoothes skin and removes peach fuzz. Following the dermaplane with the hydrafacial infuses your skin with serums that are full of antioxidants to hydrate, firm and make your skin glow. Think wilted raisin soaked in mayonnaise overnight & you can visualize what the hydrafacial does for your skin............ but healthier than mayo. lol The serums in hydrafacial plump, firm & hydrate simultaneously to give you a radiant glow while dermaplane smooths your skin and make up goes on perfectly! #FlawlessFinish

Ok, so I have a video that Dr. George and I did last week of the hydrafacial only. It's hilarious because you can tell I am not an actress, but it has some in depth information on the hydrafacial and it's a little bit entertaining. I am not sure why, but I get shy when they camera is pointed at me. Check it out!

Acne Supplement that works!

So I am totally supposed to be doing homework, so I will keep it short and simple.

This is a new product that is all natural and is helping teens with acne! I have personally seen it work on teens, so I can't imagine that it wouldn't work on adults too. Anywho! Give it a look.

Pearl Laser Resurfacing

Baby, it's cold outside......so it's time for some anti aging! lol Now that the weather is less appealing (well, depending on the day) this is the best time of year to safely get those laser treatments to take off summer damage.

This treatment is for the active, sun bunny who can't afford the social downtime of traditional anti aging treatments. You know, the less invasive ones that have to be done monthly to see a benefit from. They work, but not everyone has time for that.

Pearl is the perfect treatment option for turning that clock back. It improves sun spots, tone and texture dramatically! Click on the link below for more before and afters:

http://woodlandswellness.com/pearlpearlfractional

More Specifics:

Laser resurfacing has long been the gold standard treatment for discoloration (uneven pigmentation) and skin texture. CO2 laser resurfacing yielded excellent improvement but its popularity was hampered to a large extent by the long recovery time and the high complication rate.

                                          Above is a video of me performing the Pearl

Fractional laser resurfacing was developed in the early to mid 2000s to minimize the down time and the risks involved with other lasers of this caliber. One treatment will significantly improve the appearance of uneven pigmentation, fine lines, skin texture and overall health of your skin.

The Pearl laser was developed specifically to address this short coming of non-ablative fractional laser. As the whole surface of the skin is resurfaced, the result is far superior to that achieved by any non-ablative fractional device, such as fractional lasers alone and it is much more cost and time effective.

Dry skin saver home remedy

Between the cold weather making me lazy to shave as often and the heater drying out my skin, my legs were a sad story. Last time I checked scaley legs were not sexy 😂 so I made a delightful, homemade scrub from my kitchen to remedy the situation. Try it out and let me know what you think.

This is not for your face! Body only....

Epsom Salt (Brown Sugar if you are really dry)

Olive Oil 

Jojoba Oil

Lavender Essential Oil (vanilla extract would work)

I mixed it up by hand in an empty, plastic container I would have thrown away otherwise.

Non Invasive Fat Reduction that works

I have had this little pooch for as long as I can remember, and though it's not what some may consider bad, it bothered me. I exercise enough that I feel I should not have it. I am definitely in the best shape of my life thanks to my gym, but that pooch! I have tweaked my diet and exercise routine a million different ways, and though I could improve it, I could not eliminate it. 

When I started working at Woodlands Wellness, I learned about a fat reducing procedure we offer called CoolSculpting. I became certified in administering the treatment  and started to perform it on others. After seeing what kind of results people were getting, I had to do it myself!  CoolSculpting is the only FDA-cleared, non-surgical fat reduction treatment that uses controlled cooling to eliminate stubborn fat that resists all efforts through diet and exercise. The results are phenomenal!

http://woodlandswellness.com/coolsculpting

I did two treatments, back to back (30 days apart). I think my results were pretty impressive. Now you can actually see the muscle that was hidden under my tummy!