Mineral Skincare and Cosmetics

Some people say mineral cosmetics are for oily skin.

Hi Gorgeus!!

Ever wonder what are these mineral skincare or cosmetics? Well, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, mineral is:

1. a substance (such as quartz, coal, petroleum, salt, etc.) that is naturally formed under the ground
2. a chemical substance (such as iron or zinc) that occurs naturally in certain foods and that is important for good health

So, when we talk about mineral makeup or skincare, my thought refers to the first meaning, a natural substance from the ground. Hence, I would say that mineral cosmetics are made using some natural ingredients. 
I am sure you've already heard or even used mineral cosmetics before since this type of makeup or skincare has been around for a while ever and has become never ending trend. Some popular mineral cosmetics are mineral powder, mineral foundation, mineral eyeshadows, blush, etc. Some mineral skincare are clay mask, cleansers, moisturizers and many more.

I think the reason mineral cosmetics/skincare are good is that they are free of harsh chemicals (preservatives, fragrance, water, dyes) which would be overwhelming to some people with sensitive skins or acne prone. I myself am struggling with dry and flaky skin under my nose area. I used to wear regular foundation/powder and it emphasized the flakiness. Seriously, it looked terrible. Either the previous skincare I used had some chemical that my skin was prone of or not enough moisturizer agents, I don't know. But I suspect those were the most reasonable cause.

When Kiki introduced me to her skincare products, I was grateful. To be honest, I was skeptical at first, well, you know, natural versus regular brands. However, I'd love to try her products mainly because she says she has dry combination skin like me. Hey, I'd never seen she had flaky skin! So, I thought, this may work! Indeed it works. I started to get compliments of my skin. Ever since, I always look for mineral or natural skincare/makeup [if Qi Qi doesn't carry] or at least, I would read the ingredients of the products before buying. Something that takes some time.. but worth it! 


Now, let's dig deeper into these stuff.
Are mineral makeup or skincare only for oily skin? No. I have experienced that they shouldn't be only meant for oily skin. In fact, good mineral makeup could balance the oil level of the skin [make the skin less dry if you have dry skin and make the skin less oily if you have oily skin]. 

However, beware! Some brands may claim that their products are made using mineral ingredients or naming them after mineral skincare/cosmetics but they still use water and preservatives and perfume which mean chemical substance. Or they actually only use one or two natural ingredients [not all naturals]. Now perhaps these products don't have as much benefits from their natural ingredients. Keep in mind, the chemical substances/preservatives might reduce the mineral potentials.

Applying Mineral Powder Foundation or Finishing Powder
As I have dry skin, I apply powder relatively generous only on T-zone. Sometimes, I put on my cheeks and all over the face, but I think it's not necessary. For me, a thin layer should be enough. Liquid or cream foundation would work better for my skin. And when I use my liquid foundation, I use my moisturizer and sunscreen underneath. Lastly, I apply sheer mineral powder as finishing powder. Voila!


Mineral Skincare Ingredients
Let me write some ingredients that are usually part of mineral skincare/cosmetics.

Clay [Kaolin Clay, Rhassoul Clay, Australian Pink Clay, Bentonite Clay, etc]
Usually used in mask, cleanser, foundation, blush, any kind of dry cosmetic products.
Benefits: quick absorbent and some help with skin conditions (dry/flaky/oily).

Any Herbs Powder [Arrowroot, Kelp, Rose, Lavender, Lemon Peel]
Benefits: based on their natural contents such as vitamins, antioxidant and anti-inflammation, anti-bacterial agents.

Mica and Sericite Mica
Benefits: firstly, they are from natural source which are better than dyes or any coloring ingredients. They can be really good to your skin, however, if you have sensitive skin, you might want to test this first as they can be tricky to some sensitive skin.
I have no problems with them.

Titanium Dioxide
Benefits: Suncreen

Magnesium Stearate
[stearic acid salt] It is commonly used as thickening agent in many skincare and makeup; helps to get the desired texture of a product. It is also used to reduce the clear/transparent appearance of finished products.
FDA says it is safe to be consumed.

Zinc Oxide
A natural source of coloring agent, sunscreen, and skin protection.
Is it safe? FDA says it is safe as cosmetics ingredients.

All in all, Mineral Products seem to have more benefit than regular products. The choice is yours. Like I always said, believe your skin, if your products caused you breakouts or any uncomfortable sensations, stop using them! Mineral or not, your skin knows what works best!
Keep your natural beauty :)

-dora-

Qi Qi Naturals Event: Sea Mist Botanical Store in Oregon A

Qi Qi Naturals products will be selling at a local botanical store and Etsy.com soon! Stay tuned!!!
Please support small business and cruelty-Free products!

From Sea Mist Botanicals Owner
"Sea Mist Botanicals now carries Qi Qi Naturals. Stop by and check out these wonderful new products.
Mineral Foundation, Cheek and lip stain, eye serum, face oil, Herbal face cream and more....

Sea Mist Botanicals carries fresh organic herbs, salve kits, bath salt, sage, lotions, pet products, soaps and so much more. 

Open Monday thru Saturday 10am to 6pm.

16209 W Hoffeldt Ln Suite C, Behind rice bowl. Look for the big red flag."

Here are some preview photos: 

All of the products are handcrafted by Kiki with love and are cruelty-free

"Try Me" Kit

Also, we are currently developing our Etsy store at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/QiQiNaturals

Please stop by and spoil yourself by letting natural products touch and improve your natural beauty!

Thank you!

In Love with Coconut

Lengkuas Island, Belitung Indonesia

Tropical Fruit
Coconut is very common in tropical countries. Growing up in Indonesia, I get used to coconut. Some traditional Indonesian soup use coconut milk as one of the ingredients. Coconut water/juice is common for traditional desserts along with coconut meat. At some restaurants, we can order young coconut for our drinks (with or without extra sugar/ice). It comes with the whole fruit so we can eat its meat as well. I loooove it! The water always feels refreshing especially for hot and tropical weather. One coconut can be used for food/drink/oil, and its fiber (aka cocofiber) can be used at home as door mat/roof, its shell can be used as charcoal and many more.
I think it's amazing that somehow the world is balanced. Tropical and hot weather places are blessed by the existence of this fruit!

The Water
It is believed that drinking coconut water is equal to drinking milk. It has protein, amino acids, antioxidants and anti-toxic agents. Its Vitamin C contents is known for creating bright and clean look on baby's skin when drank during pregnancy. It provides a powerful energy source as if drinking an energy/isotonic drink and of course this also means that coconut water is really good in preventing and treating dehydration. I always look for coconut water whenever I feel tired and weak and when I don't feel good. Its anti-inflammatory property helps me feel better. The sugar content in coconut water is enough to make us feel full for a while which is good for those who are trying to lose weight.
Remember what antioxidant agents do? Yes, they protect us from free radicals. This means that coconut water is good for our body and skin as anti aging source. Yay!

The Meat
Young coconut meat is good for desserts while riped (or "old") coconut is good for grated coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil. Basically what the coconut water offers, the meat will also provide. For example, its fatty acids, antioxidant and anti-toxic agents.

Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil is derived from coconut milk by warming and separating the oil from the water used for pressing. So, it is not hard to make coconut oil from a riped whole coconut. Many people use coconut oil for cooking, baking, and skincare. Even I do too.
I use it for baking and cooking. For baking, I substitute some of the vegetable oil or butter with coconut oil. It makes the baked goods smell good.
I use it on my skin when I have itchy dry skin and to soothe my skin from burn.
I use it on my scalp as natural hair treatment. You can find the simple recipe for hair treatment below.
I use it as make up remover.
I use lotion, face oil, and body butter* that has coconut oil as ingredients.

Coconut Oil works impressively. Not only it costs relatively cheap (as skincare) but it provides more benefits than other skincare products. Moreover, it is natural. The worrisome of putting on harsh chemical ingredients could be eliminated.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog. Please leave any comments if you have any experience with coconut in any forms. Keep our natural beauty!

-dora-
*the products mentioned are handmade by Kiki the founder of Qi Qi Naturals.


DIY Hair Treatment
(Great for breakage, frizzy, conditioner, dandruff, hair growth)

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (in liquid form, you can always warm it up by putting the closed jar into warm water)
Juice from 1 lemon.
2 drops of Rosemary or Lavender E.O. (optional)
Mix all ingredients. Start putting on the scalp by giving massage. Work on giving 1-inch space in between. Always massage 2-3mins when applying. If you have extra, cover the hair til hair ends. Leave it on hair for at least 30 mins. You may use cap to avoid dripping. After 30 mins, wash your hair with your shampoo. (Note: try to avoid hair dryer as it dries hair and makes hair dull and frizzy).

If you don't have lemon but you have (raw) honey, you can substitute the lemon juice. Use 1 tbsp honey instead.

If you have sweet almond oil, you can mix both in equal parts and they work well together as hair mask.

If you don't have any of the ingredients except the coconut oil. That's fine. You may need at least 2 tbsp of Coconut Oil. You can simply follow the directions above when applying.

Oil as Anti Aging

What are the oils that can be used as Anti Aging ?

Aging is Inevitable
As I have written in the previous blog called "Oil and Our Skin," I believe that some oils do give more benefits to our skin as natural skincare compared to manufactured skincare. We all know that dryness could cause aging, wrinkles, itch, flakiness. We are aware that sunlight could cause aging with its free radicals and leave us dark spots or skin discoloration, not to mention having sunburn after being exposed in the sun for a long time. We also notice that being old may cause having sagging skin because of losing collagen and elastin. Yes, we all know that all those could happen to anyone of us. Sunlight is something inevitable if we like to go outside for a walk, hiking, tanning, playing at the beach, etc. Age is unavoidable as I am writing this blog, I'm aging by seconds, minutes, or maybe an hour or two!

What to do now? We always count on some skincare. But, the only question is are they really dependable to prevent me from aging? I mean, I understand they have dermatologist's approval; they also have some people to try and test their products before launching which is great. The thing is that sometimes some skincare contain harsh chemical ingredients. Every time I looked at the ingredient list on an item, I would frowned and stunned because I'm like "I don't understand what in the world is this, this, this..."
This situation has led me to be more aware of choosing a skincare product. Honestly, I would love to make my own skincare. But, sometimes when I read the recipes, it takes at least ten to twenty ingredients to get a well-balanced and effective skincare. For that reason, I give up. The best thing is that Qi Qi Naturals is owned by my best friend, Kiki. With her passion, she makes wonderful skincare from natural ingredients. Even better that most of them are organics. So, thanks to her, I don't have to make my own skincare, yay!

Oil Checklist
As we know that choosing the right skincare is crucial because we want to have the maximum benefits of each product we use. We want to make sure that we prevent ourselves from sign of aging prematurely. Yes, we, ladies, want to look youthful and radiant no matter how old we are.
A good natural skincare product will always include at least one of the oils below.

I believe many many more can be added to the list. However, for example, knowing that your product contains Jojoba Oil and Almond Oil at the same time might be such a relief. I hope this helps you to find out which products are good for you. So, really. Oil does work as anti aging and it gives you more benefits than a manufactured skincare could give at some point.

Keep our natural beauty! Ciao!
-dora-

Here's the list:

Vitamin E Oil
It helps treating skin from sunburn, scars, acne, and wrinkles by speeding up skin cells regeneration. Vitamin E is also known for its antioxidant properties.

Coconut Oil
If you like to have simple skincare and your skin is not so sensitive, you may consider to use Extra Virgin Coconut Oil as your face oil. In fact, according to my research, a lot of people have been using EVCO alone as night moisturizer. Coconut Oil contains antioxidant agents that help prevent aging and fight free radicals. It's believed to help with wrinkles and flakiness.

Olive Oil 
It is rich in vitamins and antioxidants and highly effective in neutralizing damaging free radicals. It also helps balance your skin's moisture without clogging pores.

Castor Oil
As antioxidant, it nourishes our skin and fights aging signs. In addition, it also has antiviral properties.

Camelina Oil
Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, it improves skin elasticity. It also has Vitamin E that works as an antioxidant to protect our skin from free radicals.

(Sweet) Almond Oil
This oil helps nourish the skin making it smooth, delay aging, lighten dark complexion, eradicate irritation, inflammation and skin rashes, soothing itchiness and moisturizing. It makes skin supple to touch, glow and look healthy.

Jojoba Oil 
It absorbs easily to our skin without feeling greasy, clogging pores or blackheads or promoting acne. It rejuvenates cell growth and helps dry and damaged skin by improving skin elasticity and suppleness because of its vitamin E content.

Rosehip Seed Oil
Full of vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids to correct dark spots and hydrate dry, itchy skin, reduce scars and fine lines. It rejuvenates the skin and leaves the skin glowing.

Kukui Nut Oil
It could penetrate the skin easily and leaves the skin feeling silky and smooth without greasy feeling in addition to its antioxidant agent that protects the skin from free radicals.

Avocado Oil
It contains vitamin A and antioxidant, nourishes, moisturizes, cleans skin, eliminates wrinkles, condition hair and protect against harsh environment.

Grapeseed Oil 
It helps regulate our natural oil production, assists with skin repair while it has mildly astringent, antioxidant and antiseptic properties packed with skin-brightening vitamin C.

Butter
Kokum Butter
It contains of fatty acids and antioxidant agents which reduce degeneration of the skin cells and restore elasticity of the skin.

Cocoa Butter
It also has antioxidant agents to slow the signs of aging.

Horsetail Butter
It's believed to treat cutaneous dryness, rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells from rashes, wrinkles, acne, burns because of its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant actions.

Raw Shea Butter
It's believed to help improve skin, hair, beauty and health because it renews, repairs and protects the skin against aging/wrinkles and harsh climate.

Essential Oils
Rose stimulates the skin and helps from dry and aging skin.

Sweet Orange (aka Orange Oil) slows down aging process and leaves the skin look radiant and glowing.

Vanilla works as antioxidant and anti-inflammation. It also promotes repairing damaged skin.

Immortelle (Helichrysum) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to help skin with acne, allergies, sunburn, ezcema and aging signs.

Sandalwood relieves rashes and itches, eczema and psoriasis, soothes acne and slows skin aging.



Note:
All those ingredients above are used by Qi Qi Naturals.
I didn't write about them in details. The list are genuinely by me, but the contents are from the internet, collected bits and pieces when I did some research. I may have rephrased it with my own words. Thanks.

DO and DON'Ts Part 1: Skincare

DOs and DON'Ts by me


Facial Cleanser
Do
1. I clean my face twice a day. Tips: in the morning if I stay home whole day, I rinsed my face with cold water only. I know friends who have been doing this since teenagers and their face never have any problems. In the morning, we have good face oil that is useful for our face, our natural oil.
2. Whenever I have make up on, I use DIY eye make up remover (recipe in the bottom of page) before I use my cleanser.
3. Use cleanser with scrubs/grains/beads as they clean pores thoroughly.
Don't
1. Don't be lazy to clean our face. In my own experience, when I was busy and skipped morning rinsing once, acne started to come out. Uh-oh.
2. I read somewhere, since I have dry skin, to avoid foam type cleanser.
3. Don't let your makeup stay for too long, especially when you plan to stay home.

Face Moisturizers
Do
1. Make sure to clean the face before applying.
2. Thin layer should be enough for the whole face. Applying too much will probably make your skin overwhelmed.
3. Make sure you're comfortable with the product; your skin should feel supple, smooth, better. I love my Face Oil since the ingredients are all natural. Thanks to Qi Qi Naturals, my face feels improved.
4. Choose the one with SPF/Suncreen for daytime (preferably SPF 30) and more antioxidant agents for night time.
Don't
1. Don't apply before cleaning your face! Why? because, we never know if the moisturizers will trap bacteria/dirt onto your skin and guess what? pimples start coming out. Oh no!
2. Don't use products that give you breakout, rashes or any problems. I tried ROC Retinol and hey, it's not cheap! $23 or so. Well, I had breakout, either I put too much or what, I don't understand. I tried to rotate with my other face cream, well, my face started to get used to, but, not too long after using it, dry skin. So, I stopped. Really, believe what your skin says.
3. Don't be lazy to apply moisturizers especially if you have dry skin. Moisturizer should help you from dryness and flakiness.

Additional Tips for Facial Skincare:
1. Toner. I believe it helps skin to adapt the application of moisturizer. I use Apple Cider Vinegar as toner after I clean my face. I leave it on for up to 2 hours before rinsing and putting on moisturizer.
2. Facial Brush. If you have Electric Facial Brush (Clarisonic/Olay/Conair), I encourage you to use it maybe at least every week. It helps cleaning and relaxing your face. I usually use my facial scrub while using my brush. Remember, pimples are scared of cleanliness.

Eye Cream/Gel/Serum
Do
1. Make sure you have removed all eye makeup before applying.
2. Apply every night before going to bed. Especially if you are lack of sleep or very tired. A little bit is enough to prevent dark circles, puffiness and hopefully from aging/wrinkles :)
Don't
1. Just like moisturizers, don't apply it if you're not comfortable or the product causes any skin reactions.

Body Lotion, Hand Cream, Foot Cream
- refer to Face Moisturizers

Shower Gel/Soap or Body Wash
- refer to Facial Cleanser

Lip Balm/Gloss
Do
1. Apply as often as possible when you have dry or chapped lips.
2. Find Natural products as lip balm may also be eaten involuntarily.  Nothing could be worse than having unclear chemical ingredients into your body.
3. Apply overnight each day for supple lips.
Don't
1. Don't use a product that's too greasy. My experience,  a good lip balm doesn't need to be greasy. They just don't work on me.
2. Don't be lazy to apply on your lips especially if you have dry lips like me.
3. Stop using the product when you don't see any improvement in few days to a week. I usually see the result within 4 days. But it depends on how often you apply it.

Additional Tips:
1. Butter/Oil. Use Body Butter/Oil for dry skin or during winter time. And most lotions use fragrance which sometimes could cause allergic reaction. Therefore, applying butter/oil is a better way for dry skin. Choose products that contain Vitamin E or Cocoa Butter/Coconut Oil/Olive Oil.
2. Sulfur. It's believed to fight acne. Get facial bar soap that has sulfur in it.
3. Natural. I recommend to use (if possible 100%) natural products. The reason is simply to not putting too much unnecessary chemical ingredients onto our skin. Our skin will always absorb anything we apply, so it's like feeding our skin with the skincare.

DIY My Makeup Remover
1. Cotton
2. Water
3. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Damp cotton with just enough water (not too wet), put a little bit of melted EVCO.
Tadaaaa. It's ready to go!!

See you in my next blog!
Keep healthy. Be natural :)


xoxo
-dora-

Essential Oils

What are they? What are their benefits?

Hello Ladies!!

Now that we know that OIL is essential for our skin and that it can be used as substitute for moisturizers only without harsh chemicals, we might be curious about what are essential oils? What make them different with other oils?

I personally am not a scientist or an expert in herbs; however, I do like green thingy and looking for alternatives: anything for a better health and life. Like other people, I also have some problems with my skin: dryness that causes flaky skin sometimes, allergies, rashes, dull-looking skin, etc. This condition motivates me to keep learning about skincare and the ingredients that are used.

What is Essential Oil? It is a concentrated aromatic liquid that typically 100% pure which means no other ingredients in it. Sources (Online Herbs Suppliers) say that 100% pure EO doesn't contain carrier oils, diluents and any other ingredients. That means EO is not oil! It is a super concentrated hydrophobic from plants/herbs which processed by either distilled steaming or cold pressing. Because it's highly concentrated, using EO by itself (without dilution or carrier oil) may cause irritation or breakout. Ouch!

Despite it may cause irritation when being used alone, EO is believed to have many benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agents, stress reliever, skin soother, and moreover it has variety of good aromas. Not only known as aromatherapy agent, EOs are commonly used in lotions, soap, air fresher spray (the easiest way to use it, just dilute few drops into some water in a spray bottle), getting rid of fleas, 2-3 drops on pillow may help you to relax and sleep for insomnia problem.

Please note, that some EOs are good only for oily skin, some are for all types of skin. Since I have dry skin, I really have to pay attention of this too. I had breakout a long time ago because back then I didn't know that the concentrated oil needs to be diluted. Therefore, you should learn before buying.
Here's some tips:
1. the most common EOs people buying as starter are: lavender, tea tree, peppermint (cmiiw).
2. make sure you have carrier oil or other substance to mix with your EO; olive/coconut oil are easy to be absorbed by our skin without clogging pores.
3. some EOs can be used for spray either for fresher air or getting rid of fleas/bacteria/bugs, such as: eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree.
4. however, note to no.3, some EOs also maybe good and helpful for dogs but not for cats. They may be very toxic for cats. For me, since I have cats, I limited the usage of EOs to reduce the risk being exposed to them.
5. make sure to buy EOs with "100% pure" label as they should be all natural. If you can find Organic, that's even better.
6. I would recommend if you're pregnant or about getting pregnant to not put on your skin/body, as I read most of the labels say not for used if you're pregnant.
7. If you are not sure of buying or using EO, I encourage you to get natural skincare such as: face oil, eye serum, lotion that have EOs in their ingredients. I use skincare from Qi Qi Naturals and she uses EO in most of her products.

Last but not least, I hope this could help anyone. I personally love and use EOs, I like the aroma and I believe they are such a good remedy to prevent stress, bug bites, helping to relax, and they can also be put into our skincare as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial or anti-viral agent. Keep healthy ladies! And keep natural :)

xo,
Dora

My Simple Toner and Conditioner Recipe:
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp distilled water
1 or 2 drop of Lavender EO (or Chamomile if you like)

Oil and Our Skin

to keep our skin moisture, oil plays an important role

I heard about Tea Tree Oil about ten years ago and bought it since I heard about it's anti-acne role. I have dry-to-normal skin type and TTO was too strong to be applied without any dilution that my skin ended up cracking. I also had Rosehip Seeds Oil two years ago that ended up being used twice which caused my skin dry. But, seriously, I didn't know how to make use of them. I mean, what would I do with those oils. I was ignorant. Well, that was me until a year ago.
Okay, so what with these oils? Thanks to the booming of Body Oil, Face Oil, Skin Oil. Yes. O-I-L. But why? how?

As I get older, I started to use skincare products. I need to take care of my diet and skin! I want to have healthy and glowing skin. I began using moisturizers and night cream on my face, eye gel/cream on my eye lids and around, body lotion all over. However, deep down I realized that those regular skincare might have side effects. We know lotion contains fragrance to make them smell so damn good! Also lotion mostly contains water. Water is used to moisture our skin but it dries quickly so we apply more lotion. I think fragrance is toxic and water dries our skin. So, I began to research for a better solution. The answer is oil. In fact, some people have oily skin, while others are lack of skin oil. Why are we lack of oil? Well many reasons, I would say 5 reasons: aging, stress, life-style (alcoholic or smokers), sunlight radiation, and gene factor.

Anyway, I started with my body due to bad experience with my face. I use Cocoa Butter Body Oil as lotion. It smells wonderful and it works really good on my skin, especially during winter time to fight my cracking skin. I put Cuticle Oil that contains Vitamin E Oil on my nails. I use Virgin Coconut Oil as hair mask. It smells good and makes my hair smooth. As for Tea Tree Oil, I have the one that already diluted and I use it on my itchy skin. I think it works better now. It's a bit greasy but it helps with my skin problem. As for my face, I try to give a second chance with Qi Qi Naturals Face Oil. OMG! It works wonderfully, quickly absorbed without greasy feeling. It makes my skin feel smooth and improved; it helps me fighting flaky skin on the face.

Well, I have done some research about different types of oil: pure oils (olive, coconut), essential oils (lavender, chamomile), seeds oil (grape, hemp), TTO, etc. I believe that we could make use of oil in any ways as our natural skincare, however, you must do a little research what oils are good for you and whatnot. Google it before you get it, make sure that your skin type are not prone to the oil you want to use. In fact, some oil works for oily skin but not for dry skin, for instance TTO. Some oil contain sebum that similar to human skin's sebum which means could blend well with our natural skin oil and absorbed quickly. Some oils contain anti-oxidant agent that fights UV radiation or free radicals.

So, Oil? Yes. Why not?

-dora-