Christmas tree is gone and all decorations packed into the loft, we all coming back to committed lifestyle: somebody starts going to the gym, changing hairstyle or a job, there is a new year that will bring new happiness!

I noticed lots of people in the gym all different shapes and sizes, different ages and occupation, somebody just walked from work in heels and got changed ready for a treadmill, somebody wants to lose weight and somebody wants to build up muscle. 

Maybe you are thinking about changing something about your life?

Like going Vegan? or replace your bottle of commercial shower gel into a beautiful handmade bar of soap? It's good not only for your skin but for the environment. 

And the meaning of the soap has changed over the years going from the fat bar made from cold-pressed oils into a block of detergents and chemicals that you can buy for less than 50p. 

We started to be scared of soap as it is drying out the skin, yes it might be if it's commercial soap, as it doesn't have as much of natural fat from high oleic oils, added butter as it makes it more expensive to produce.

My personal experience: I have replaced all my plastic bottles fancy shower gels and facial washes into my own handmade soaps: my skin has never felt dry, I don't use as much of body lotion after each shower, my self-tan or even natural tan stays longer and doesn't wash off as much, and the most important - I have never felt cleaner in my life! 

We are so lucky to live in times where the handmade industry is thriving thanks to Etsy, NuMomnday and many more platforms where handcrafters and conscious consumer meet! 

Skin: it is never perfect

I don't know what's wrong with my skin but every time I go on holiday and travel through the airport to the sunshine, I have breakouts. It is usually on my chin. And no matter if I wear make up or not while travelling, if I clean my skin in between the travel I end up with a huge blemish on my holiday..

I think it's pollution, dust, dirt in air and skin's stress even, but in any case, nothing is working to rescue skin from unexpected blemishes. I have literally tried everything: from Anti Blemish to Normaderm and even Tea Tree Oil. 

What really turns my world upside down is the day when I discovered #bentonite clay. I have discovered Bentonite Clay just by accident and had an idea of making fresh face masks with added goodness. I mixed Bentonite Clay with Organic Orange Flower Water and clay do not dissolve in water immediately, it needs to sit for a couple of minutes. At least fifteen minutes. 

Of course, before selling any of my handmade skincare I need to test on my own skin, so I popped a tin-trial full of the ready mask - Bentonite Clay + Orange Flower Water. I will test it while I'm on holiday - I won't wear make up anyway :D

So we getting to that moment when you travel all day (Manchester - Tenerife) and when you finally in the hotel your face looks like you haven't slept for a week and skin looks oily and tired. Are we close to that moment when you notice a lump trying to break through the skin into a huge red blemish?

Exactly. Nothing left to lose and just try that clay mask which at least gives a skin some detox.

OMG! You know when we talk about effect after the first use is just a marketing trick, right? But that was for real!

After my first application of this mask, I have noticed that lump that was almost swollen to just about break through the skin has actually decreased in size!

The redness and that greyish tired look of the skin have replaced with white clean skin and matte look!

I gave it a go in the evening as I found out in the hotel I forgot to put my face wash into my travel toiletries. The result is - my skin started to improve after every application of Bentonite Clay mask.

And the holiday result is not the only bigger result I had: I have this problem with blemishes on both sides of my chin and purely depends on woman's hormonal balances that's what I thought. I always had red or whiteheads in the same place. No matter if I use Anti Blemish Gel, Normaderm or any other super rescue anti-blemish treatment like applying Tea Tree Oil on the cotton bud and straight onto the pimple.

But when after using Bentonite Clay on my skin especially on the chin - my skin has never been clean like never in my life. Guys, this is a must-have and everyone should use it as a treatment - men and women as this Clay are not drying out skin like chalk, but gives a very balanced mineral feeling on the skin! 

I was so amazed by the effect of Bentonite clay I have started research.

Very interesting fact about this clay that when you add water the clay swells up slowly. I have added Orange Flower water and clay drank it all, I had to add more and wait more time while it swells. The molecular structure of clay changes when you add water - it becomes electrically charged and acts as a magnet on the skin - dragging out toxins, impurities and sebum.

It is odourless and microfine with grey colour. 

Then I came across Rhassoul Moroccan Clay while I was making Perfance 100% Black Soap, which is soap used for stream rooms - hammams, and if you do a proper Moroccan hammam you use soap first, then Rhassoul (Ghassoul) Clay and Argan Oil afterwards. 

So, Rhassoul (Ghassoul) clay or Moroccan Lava Clay is a mineral clay that derived from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It contains natural detergent, just very slightly soapy clay without creating foam. Rhassoul clay gives a clean feeling on the skin without stripping the skin's natural balance. 

So if you use it on the skin it is like a creamy clay Brown colour that has small particles due to its texture. The molecular structure of this clay is perfect for absorbing impurities and excess of oil from the skin. it is a beautiful product and must-have for #skinobsessors.

French Green Clay is incredibly creamy and gives a light detox even for Sensitive Skin. Added Black Seed oil is a multi superfood for skin - from cleansing properties to redness removing and skin calming. This clay is known as Illite Clay and rich in minerals like cobalt, magnesium, silicone and other minerals. 

Fuller's Earth Clay is known as a pH balanced cleanser-clay with pore tightening properties as it has a molecular oil-dragging effect. It is used to make skin whiter and remove any unwanted pigmentation on the skin. So you might give it a go for treating dark spots that appear on the skin if you forget to apply sun cream. 

Conclusion.

I thought that using clay for skin do not give any effect as just drying out the skin. And this is something I have experienced when I was a teenager and bought a packet of a mass market clay that cost me less than a penny. And it felt like chalk and smelled like chalk which reminding me of school pretty much. After washing off that clay from my face my skin just felt dry. No effect. The fact for sure - I have used a wrong clay, a cheap clay or just fake. After that experience, I stopped trying clay masks for like the next ten years. 

But don't be like me - you have to always look for something new and indulging for your skin. Cause skin of every person is different and the routine is different, so you have to search for only your individual routine. 

What happened after I started to use Precious Clays?

I have stopped using a face wash at all. Clay does everything - cleansing, oil and impurities absorption, detox and even micro exfoliation. But..

The cleansing routine should have at least three steps: make up removing,  clay mask-cleanser and floral water (hydrosol) face toner.

I have tried this routine for over a months and I can tell my skin feels better - clean and fresh, no blackouts and less shine. And another reason - I don't like face washes that makes skin tight and even red sometimes as I think I have developed sensitivity to Detergents like Sulphates or SLS.

It's up to you to decide what you apply on your skin but this time think open minded. Like we do, or at least we try. 

You simply know it is definitely a good product but maybe the rich texture scares you a bit, and maybe too natural isn't too practical?

Here are some right and easy ways to get the benefit from pure natural butter like Shea, Cocoa and Coconut Oil.

First of all - use Organic and Unrefined as they are full of goodness and vitamins as refined Shea Butter (white in colour) won't give you that natural boost effect

How to use pure natural shea butter?

• Lips: only a very small amount needed, pad it on your lips to help it to meltdown

• Cuticles: Take a small amount (size of a pea) and melt it down first, then when it turns into oil and amount of it slightly increases. Apply on nails and cuticles and even toes overnight. You will be surprised how manicured your nails will look the next day 

• Body: add to body lotion, perfect for feet, heels and elbows and a natural remedy from a sunburn, dryness, irritation, redness or inflammation 

• Face: melt it down and apply on face with padding movements. The best way to apply on the wet skin or straight after toner / facial mist. Add to your regular face cream, mask, facial oil or serum. Shea is very beneficial for your skin: healing, wrinkle smoothing, good for acne prone skin as non-comedogenic at all. 

• 'Emergency' makeup remover - apply on the face, melt down the makeup and use damp facial cloth or just small face towel to remover makeup 

• Hair: melt in our palms really small amount, apply on the hair ends only if they dry or damaged to give more moisture to your hair while sunbathing on holiday or before blow dry. It is better to use it for coarse or dry hair rather than fine hair

Why is unrefined Shea Butter so much better?

Pure and Unrefined Shea butter is like unfiltered, full of goodness and natural scent and even flavour. Commercially it makes sense to use refined shea butter which looks more white and the shelf life of any refined product is longer. But why do we need to filter off that goodness?

Perfance Shea Butter tins are Unrefined, Certified and Organic, as full of goodness as possible!

No wonder why it recovers the look of the breakouts when I apply it overnight! - Alina Perfance

Can Coconut Oil dry out skin? Any oil can dry out skin if applied on the perfectly dry skin.

Over time oil will absorb oil from your skin and especially with Coconut skin may feel dryer.

You see, the best way to apply any time of oil is on the damp skin like straight after moisturiser or mix with moisturiser. If you use facial oil - apply it straight after facial toner, when skin is still slightly wet - this is to ensure that oil will do the job.

You may use bottled water before applying facial oil.

It is worth experimenting with Mother Nature products as the benefit can be endless!

Does it make any difference: to use Face Moisturiser or Cream?

"I used to skip face cream in the day skin routine cause it made my skin oily and shiny.  And maybe you as well don't really want to build up too many layers as you wear make up everyday." - Alina Perfance

Right, even if you use a face cream for your skin type it still feels heavy and your face shines even before afternoon. Powder up make up is good though, but maybe the reason is in something else?

What is the difference between Moisturiser and Cream?

Moisturiser gives skin moisture with water and face cream has more oils in its content. That's why we look for Oil-Free Moisturiser which would mean the texture would be more water based rather than oil based. 

If your skin prone to breakouts or produce too much oil and make up literally slips off - swap to oil-free or water based moisturiser and serum, but it will be only temporarily solution, the skin would need oils too and no matter is it Oily skin or Dry.

The texture: Moisturizer and Cream can be the same texture - do not mix up with Lotion which is a light cream and has much runnier texture. Moisturiser leaves less oily residue on the skin than cream and absorbs better.

Cream tent to have to more nourishing and velvety texture and also makes that 'smoothing effect' with the help of oils. 

What makes skin oily?

Comedogenic oils and ingredients.

Things like Cocoa Butter is a luxury thing but not for Combination skin types. You see every ingredient has its own comedogenic number. It's easy to google any ingredient and find out what's best for you.

"I started googling the ingredients in my day creams, and to be honest even with night time creams you wake up with a shiny face anyway... So I found interesting ingredients like synthetic polymers, lubricants and skin conditioning agents...  (see the blog post Dior Capture Totale) One question: why would you add these to the face cream? If you have any idea why, please leave a comment." - Alina Perfance

Dimethicone and anything synthetic really.

Even if the actual ingredient is allowed to be used in cosmetics it doesn't make it perfect for skin and there are several reasons why manufacturers use it: to enhance texture, to make products thicker, to mask scents; you should remember that choice is yours to make what you apply on your own skin.

Waxes.

And again synthetic waxes are comedogenic but natural beeswax is 100% non-comedogenic ingredient. Many make up removing balms (the good ones) based on beeswax, even mascaras and sometimes moisturiser. Keep your eye open to Synthetic Waxes and you'll be fine.  

Poor cleansing routine.

Korean girls have the best skin in the world as their skin routine includes many steps of cleansing and moisturising. In European skincare tradition, we have main 3 steps twice a day: 1. Cleansing 2. Toning and 3. Moisturising. To be honest many women don't follow even 3 steps. You have to understand that cleansing means many steps and can include many products like make up remover and facial wash. Toning will remove traces of the facial wash and make up remover you have used and will finish the cleansing step together with preparing skin for moisturiser. Moisturising can have not only one product but separately face and eye cream, serums and treatment. 

"My personal experience. I have tried many moisturisers but they just not perfect: Clinique Moisture Surge was awesome for sometime but you still feel that skin is not getting something. It was perfect under make up though. Plus you want somehting antiageng as well so I got this Lancome Multi Lift for All skin types plus it has SPF 15. But I do wear make up everyday and with this cream make up slipps off like before afternoon, shine appears and you have to use powder. So I though I'll use just serum and that's it. Water based Lancome Serum is really nice but skin don't that moisture enough and after sometimes skin became dull and more oily... " - Alina Perfance 

So I tried to create my own Moisturiser. After experimenting and carefully adding the right ingredients - Perfance Fix Moisturiser range was created. It includes three types of Moisturisers with different benefits but for one skin type - Combination Oily. 

All Moisturisers of this range based on Marigold oil (Calendula) - the best for Oily skin, it is light oil that gives moisture without making the cream to heavy, it clears out the skin and makes skin tone more even. 

It was tested on a few people who had the same problem Combination skin. And I got some real reviews to share: 

"I recently bought this from you and I must say it’s really nice when my day cream runs out I am going to try one of the other creams. I am so pleased with my night fix cream and I’m waiting for my present day cream to run out so I can purchase your day cream.

I have tried many face creams over the years and to have finally found one that I’m happy with is great." - Debbie

Age Fix Moisturiser gives you that amazing antiageing effect without any oily cream feeling on your skin. Rosewood that added to the cream enrich it with anti ageing benefits along with antioxidants that protect skin from ageing. Myrrh Absolute is a unique ingredient that feeds the skin with vitamins and minerals.

Pure Fix Moisturiser will make skin more matte and clean. It is amazing as make up base - will give skin moisture to make it smooth and ready for make up. Apply 'a pea size' over cleansed skin and follow with make up. Caraway packed with vitamins and contains natural Zink which helps in regulating skin's sebum.  French Lavender oil will keep skin balanced and like bacteria-free so a breakout would be a problem anymore. 

Sleep Fix is overnight Moisturiser. Patchouli relaxes skin and has massive regenerating action - what we really need for skin while we sleep. Bulgarian Lavender is a type of high attitude lavender that basically grows 'in the clouds'. It has not only skincare benefits - it is therapeutical and skin's aromatherapy. With soothing and repairing properties Bulgarian Lavender makes a perfect finish to this Moisturiser. 

Discover your favourite Moisturiser and leave your review to get VIP deal in your next purchase. 

Moroccan soap is made from Olive Oil and Black Olives - this is why the colour naturally appears. It is a natural soap made by traditional artisan method. 

Natural Soaps are alkali products that gently cleanse without disturbing natural skin balance.

The method of making natural soaps is saponification - a process that turns oils into alkali product - soap by adding potash. The process takes long hours and requires maturing, so to make the final product will take from one to three months. As a pure alkali product, it doesn't require preservatives, as bacteria can't bread in an alkali environment - it as it survives only in acidity environment. 

How the soup started?

Ages ago, Ancient Egyptians were using bicarb of soda to clean their body, teeth and hair, and they washed quite regularly.

Ancient Greeks were using bicarb of soda mixed with olive oil that served as a soap.

Later Castile Soap was invented in Mediterranean -  the soap that made purely from Olive oil. Black soap was made in Africa and Moroccan Soap spread from Morocco to the Middle East. 

Is it bad to use commercial shower gels and soaps?

Commercial soaps and budget shower gels made basically by mixing detergents (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) and Lipid restorer together. The process does not require time at all, they don't have to be left to mature and preservative added. Those detergents added to shower gel and even to the facial wash strip natural skin barrier and will make skin tight, dry and unprotected, so manufacturer adds Lipid restorer - in order to replace that natural skin barrier that has been stripped off, but it doesn't sound good, does it?

The actual cleansing reaction using commercial shower gels and soaps that has detergents and surfactant is it -  is oxidization - the skin's healthy pH lowers, skin feels tight and too 'squeaky clean'.  

Plus the whole reaction of 'foaming' isn't good for skin and anything that creates a huge foam - considered as a hazardous product, but we like foam and we keep buying it and manufacturer like foam because it is inexpensive to make. 

Over time, most people develop sensitivity to Sodium Laureth Sulphate containing products which are scientifically proven. That's why many brands started to produce SLS-Free lines of Shampoo and even a toothpaste.

This topic is quite personal for me as nine years ago when I was young and beautful, living a healthy lifestyle and not even dye my hair I have faced the problem of hair loss on my early 20s. Browsing the internet, I came across of scientific research of one professor (I can't remember name) who claimed that SLS in an allergic and can make several problems with skin and hair. I had no doubts and went to the drugstore to update my shampoo for SLS free version. You not going to believe but all shampoos where containing SLS and only in a small drugstore I have found a very simple herbal based shampoo - and that was the only option to choose from. After one month using SLS-free shampoo the problem of hairloss dispappered so quickly as it started. 

When you see organic made products and they use SLS because it is made from Coconut, and even if it's organic Coconut or not it is the same SLS.

But the good thing is that we become smarter in our consumer choices. 

We choose to buy online if we can get a good price rather than buying from our local luxury department store.

We choose Cruelty-Free and Vegan products over fashion labels. 

And even if we have no clue about magic formulas but we know if the list of Ingredients is too long we become suspicious.

This is the right direction - conscious consuming and taking your own responsibility for your own health and environment. 

And the world around us starts changing!

New vegan and handmade brands appear, as the consumer is there and want to have something special than a plastic bottle with three hundred ingredients in it.

This is one of the reasons why I started Perfance brand. I wanted to create products that I couldn't find on the beauty market myself. Products that I would use for myself and share is with the world. 

The Perfect Formula and the Precious Raw Materials turned into Perfance 100% Pure Black Soap - a unique, versatile and natural product that will replace many of your beauty bottles - soaps, showers gel, shaving foam. It's gentle enough for babies and even toddlers, and it's awesome for acne prone, sensitive and even eczema skin. 

Perfance 100% Pure Black Soap is:

- SLS, Detergent and Surfactant-Free

- Preservative-free and Colourant-Free

- Cruelty-free and Vegan

- Biodegradable and Environmental-wise packaging (allumium tin instead of plastic)

We do everything in our power to be an environmentally ethical brand and show a new side of a beauty industry.

What are Ingredients?

ONly three ingredients - Cold Pressed Virgin Olive Oil, Black Olives and Potash.

Few oils and Absolutes added as well depending on the type. 

Why Olive Oil?

Olive Oil resembles the closest to human sebum - that natural skin balance that contains from oil and water that skin produces by itself in order to protect herself from the environment. 

Another good this is Olive Oil is non-comedogenic - do not clog pore or provoke acne and blackheads.

For this Black Soap, I use high oleic cold pressed olive oil as only good quality materials can turn simple into goodness. 

When Black Olive Fruit added it turns the product into complete goodness - full of fatty acids and antioxidants, that protects skin from ageing, irritation, redness and inflammation. 

How it's made?

To turn oil into alkali product - soap caustic potash (KOH) added to the heating oils at certain temperatures and using special equipment. This inorganic compound only acts as catalysator and completely disappears after the reaction is finished. So it does not stay in the ready-made product. 

The process of making a small batch of soap is quite long and needs constant human attention. After it has been made it has to mature for one month and other Raw Cold Pressed Oils and Absolutes are added to enrich the benefits of the soap.

This product is so good and high alkali that it doesn't require preservatives and does not have expiry product just like natural honey, for example. 

How to use it?

The texture of the jelly paste makes product lasts for ages as only a small amount needed. 

The best way to use is applying on the wet skin in shower or bath by using any ordinary exfoliation glove. The Black Soap creates rich leather, cleansing and exfoliating skin perfectly without disturbing natural skin balance.

Black Soap is perfect for Sensitive skin and even babies and toddlers skin. 

It is perfectly leathering when applied just by hands onto facial hair for shaving. 

It is not only a versatile product but when used for a few months can fix lots of skin problems: balance skin sebum, treat acne and blackheads, remove dryness and totally nourishes skin.

What is Beldi soap? 

 'Beldi' in Moroccan means 'traditional' so Moroccan Beldi Soap - Moroccan Traditional Soap. Which, I think could mean any traditionally made soap in the Eastern part of the world.

Life without detergents

I have tested this soap on my own skin. From that day I never bought a shower gel.

I can tell you I'm a big fan of L'Occitane and Chanel bath products and I like only the best! So at first, testing something like Black Soap was quite a challenge for me.

The skin on my is more dry than normal and it is quite sensitive to anything 'too chemical', like strong synthetic fragrances or colourants (I can't wash with Radox, apologies to the brand but that's true).

Feeling of the texture of this soap is quite rich paste with softening sensations.

I apply it on wet skin with an exfoliating glove or one of that good quality cotton small face towels. If you don't have any of that - body mitt will do as well. But it is nice to do a bit of exfoliation while bathing with Moroccan Black Soap. 

Feeling on the skin is very nourishing feels more like a nourishing facial mask but it turns to gentle rich leather.

When you wash it off it turns into a milky soapy water. The skin dries out much quickly I have noticed - because natural skin balance (oil and water on the top layer of the skin) were not disrupted.

Usually, after washing with regular commercial shower gel I get this feeling of dryness on my back like the skin is very tight and uncomfortable. And this usually happens after ten minutes of shower. So I ending up applying body lotion all over to recover that natural skin balance that been washed off with SLS and Detergents in shower gels. Seems like a vicious circle to me. 

This is one of the reasons why I started using natural Moroccan Soap on the daily basis: I want my skin to feel glowing and moisturised naturally.

Have you tried Moroccan soap? If you have any experience to share please leave a comment.