I cannot be bothered with centralising my posts anymore. It's too much effort and I have to press enter everytime a line looks full enough. So I shall just justify my text now :3
I've recently taken an interest in the skin care secrets of Geishas. Achieving flawless skin is one of the things on my highest-priority-to-do list (as you probably already know). My jaw line has recently broken out with a series of small lumps which don't want to go away. I've put it down to using too many products that contain fragrances and just too many products in general. After stumbling across a blog, it opened my eyes to the fact that we don't need fragrance in skincare. Our skin doesn't really care if it smells like lavender or bergamot. All it wants is to be healthy. The blog also showed that fragrant essential oils are actually phototoxic to our skin cells, meaning that the application of these oils can increase the sensitivity of our skin to the sun. Here is an article on pubmed studying the effects of these oils. Although the concentration of and solvent that the oils are suspended in will play a part in how harmful it is to the skin, I'd rather not go with the risk.
I digress again. On a random google for perfect skin, I came across rice flour. Plain, ground rice flour. It seems to have a rather good reputation in helping to brighten and whiten the skin, reducing blemishes and pigmentation and helping to treat wrinkles. Rice is used in many brands of skincare, such as L'Occitane and even SK-II.
Rice apparently has amazing sun protection benefits, it contains paraaminobenzoic acid (a sunscreen), ferulic acid (an antioxidant which helps stabilise and increase the potency of vitamins C and E), gamma oryzanol, an antioxidant to help regulate collagen production, and allantoin which helps soothe and repair skin. Many people in Asia also use the water from washing rice as a toner so help keep their skin soft and bright. It was then I found that Geisha's use rice flour in their daily skincare routines. So I thought 'If rice is good enough for a geisha who has flawless skin despite the heavy amounts of make up they wear, then it's good enough for me.'
My internet research led to me a series of sites documenting the skincare secrets of Geishas. The main products they use are:
- camellia oil
- rice
- persimmon
- sea salt
Camellia oil is very popular in Japan, derived from the seeds of the camellia plant, it has antioxidant and antibacterial properties and increases skins elasticity. It's used in a variety of hair care products (such as the ever popular Shiseido Tsubaki haircare range) and geisha's use it to moisturise their skin and eyelashes.
Rice, as mentioned above, seems to have a multitude of benefits for the skin. Tyrosinase is an enzyme that speeds up the production of melanin in the skin, not exactly good news when you want luminous, even coloured skin; and unfortunately it is written in our DNA for us to naturally produce tyrosinase. This is where rice comes to the rescue! Applied as a paste, rice is said to inhibit tyrosinase. I haven't found a study to back it up (I haven't looked yet, doesn't mean that there isnt one available), but there is probably some truth to it considering Asians have been using rice for years to achieve a fairer complexion.
Persimmon contains a whole lot of minerals and vitamins, all helping to create a smooth and healthy complexion. Geisha's used persimmon in mask form to prevent aging, regulate oil production and keep it bright and supple. Persimmons contain compounds called catechins which have anti-infection and anti-inflammatory properties, their numerous amounts of antioxidants, such as vitamin C and lycopene, help to delay ageing, and its mineral content can increase the potency of antioxidant function in the body. Persimmons sound pretty amazing, huh? Although using it as a mask does sound appealing, I think I'd rather eat my persimmon. They're just so delicious :3
Sea salt is used by geishas to exfoliate the skin on their body, keeping it smooth and flawless. Sea salt is made from the evaporation of the water from sea water, meaning the salt contains a bunch of minerals that are beneficial to the skin and can actually hydrate the skin, keeping it plump and smooth, unlike ordinary sodium chloride. Skin can become dry, blotchy, itchy, dull and irritable when it doesn't receive the minerals it needs to stay healthy, and as skin starts to age, its cell to cell communication abilities become slower and less effective. By upping the level of minerals available to the skin cells, cell communication can function at the rate that keeps skin youthful. Even without scrubbing sea salt manages to slough off dead skin cells, leaving smooth and glowing skin ready to absorb moisture and minerals. Sea salt works best when used in combination with warm water to increase circulation to the skin so the nutrients can be taken to other skin cells via the blood at a faster rate.
Ehh...this post is getting rather long. I shall finish with a few geisha-inspired recipes you can make from ingredients in your kitchen cupboards.
Gentle Face Cleanser/Mask/Scrub
Mix one tablespoon of rice flour with either milk or yoghurt till it forms a smooth paste. Apply this to warm, freshly cleansed skin and leave on for at least 10 minutes or till dry. When you're ready to wash it off, use warm water and remove the mask using your fingertips in circular motions. Pat dry and apply your usual skincare.
The yoghurt/milk contains lactic acid and has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, meaning it is useful for cleansing skin, unblocking pores and hydrating skin. The rice flour, although crushed to a fine flour, is still slightly grainy. This makes it a very gentle exfoliator, but don't use too much pressure!
This concoction can be used as a face cleanser, not a make up remover. So after removing your make up, feel free to use this as your last step to your cleansing routine to leave skin soft and bouncy.
Persimmon Mask
Mix one tablespoon of mashed persimmon with one teaspoon of honey and one egg yolk. Apply to clean, warm skin and leave for around 15 to 20 minutes before washing off with warm water.
Honey has anti-microbial properties and can rejuvenate skin after a day in the sun. It's also a humectant, making it great to keep dry skin moisturised.
Egg yolks contain vitamin A which can regulate skin cell growth. It is very common in skincare creams and serums in the form of retinol or retinoids to help unblock pores, support collagen production to help smooth wrinkles and fine lines, and even out pigmentation and skin texture by increasing the rate of cell turnover.
Sea Salt Body Scrub
Mix two tablespoons of sea salt with a little yoghurt to create an exfoliating cream. Massage in circular motions over warm skin, preferably halfway through a shower, then rinse off and finish with body lotion.
I haven't included a specific recipe for camellia oil, but you can always add a little to either of the recipes above and anything you care to concoct for yourself. Camellia oil is rather pricey so I prefer to use it as a moisturiser when I won't need to wash it off for at least the next few hours.
I have finally come to the end of this post.
If you have managed to reach the end, then I would like to congratulate you! :D
I hope you found it informative and have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it ^^
Until next time!
Jia
x
