As summer approaches we can often feel invigorated to kickstart a clean, healthy and active regime.

Perfect timing then for the launch of the Come Clean section of CONTENT Magazine’s blog, in which you can select your own easy-to-follow Cleanse plan.

Depending on how much you need to detox, (and how determined you are!), you can opt for one of the following kits:

1. Come clean & eat green – Cleansing through diet

2. Come clean kit – Cleansing through diet and supplements

3. Come clean guided kit – Cleansing through diet and supplements tailored to your specific needs.

After their 3 week challenge I can report the CONTENT team now have better skin, better sleep, brighter eyes and lots more energy – where do we sign up?!

If you’ve taken part in the 21 Day Cleanse challenge or something similar, we’d love to hear how you got on…

It seems so many of you, sensitive skinned or not sensitive skinned, have suffered a reaction to a mainstream make-up product.

Strange then that there are so few make-up brands that cater for sensitive skin, no?

To be frank, navigating sensitive skin-friendly make-up is a bit of a minefield as there are few hard & fast rules, and what one may tolerate another may react to.

That being said, here are my top products to watch out for:

1. Under-Eye Concealers

3 of your top 5 worst offenders were eye make-up products.

This is because the skin around the eyes is the thinnest and most delicate on the face, and therefore the most prone to reaction.

While there are few specific ingredients to watch out for, metal oxide colourants or TEA (triethanolamine) can cause reactions.

If you do react to an eye make-up product, remove as soon as possible with a gentle Cleanser and rinse the eye out with cold water.

2. Mineral Foundations

One to watch – as mineral make-up is often touted as the make-up solution for sensitive skin (I myself recommend it as a natural SPF).

When choosing a mineral foundation look for one that’s Bismuth Oxychloride-free.

Bismuth Oxychloride is the ingredient that gives mineral make-ups iridescence, but it can be very irritating and cause sensitive skin to itch, particularly when it’s warm.

3. Gradual Tan

While not technically make-up, I had so many people report reactions to Gradual Tan products that I had to include them.

As well as artificial fragrance and preservatives, some people may react to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) – the active tanning ingredient.

DHA can irritate sensitive areas, and should be kept well away from the eye and lip area.

4. Hypoallergenic Make-up

Many people with sensitive skin are instantly drawn to products labelled “hypoallergenic”.

However it’s important to note that hypoallergenic products are not unable to cause a reaction, they are just less likely to compared to their more irritating counterparts.

There’s no industry standard meaning for “hypoallergenic”, it’s really more of a Marketing term – so shop wisely!

As of this week, Pai is available in select Magasin department stores across the country.

To celebrate, myself and our Head Facialist Marine will be in Copenhagen this Thursday 24 May for a fabulous launch event at Magasin Du Nord, and we’ve got an English extravaganza in store!

To find out your nearest Danish stockist, please email info@paiskincare.com.

If you’re more of an online shopper, then Pai products are also available from the gorgeous girl’s lounge at www.blixenvixen.dk.

While we create our gentle yet effective organic products without irritants, we still always recommend that new customers Patch Test products before they introduce them into their daily beauty regime.

Patch Testing ensures your new product suits your sensitive skin, and means that were you to develop a reaction you would be able to pinpoint it to one product in particular.

To patch test a product, apply a small amount to the inner arm and leave for 24hrs, observing for any reactions.

If none occur, repeat this process on the neck, applying a small amount and leaving for 24hrs, again observing for any reactions.

If the area of skin looks healthy and feels great then you’re good to go!

Like many women, Cynthia did not start to experience problem skin until her early 40s, when she broke out in angry red spots across her face.

First mistaking them for acne, Cynthia attacked them with harsh, astringent products that only made the problem worse, and it was not until she eventually saw a dermatologist that she realised she had actually developed Rosacea.

While it is a skin condition that is rarely talked about, Rosacea is thought to affect 1 in 10 women in Europe.

Cynthia has teamed up with the American National Rosecea Society to help raise awareness, and to support other women with the stress and anxiety that problem skin in adulthood can cause.

For more advice on how to manage Rosacea, see my previous blog post.

If you’re struggling to find the right products, I’d also recommend ordering a sample of our Chamomile & Rosehip Sensitive Skin Cream, which is particularly effective at calming, cooling and strengthening the skin and reducing redness.

But what exactly are these little lines?

Without getting too sciencey, the skin is made up of three layers – epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, each of which changes as we age.

The cells of the epidermis take longer to regenerate, and so this surface level gets approximately 10% thinner every decade.

In the dermis, Collagen, the natural scaffolding of the skin, starts to break down, loosening the skin’s firm structure.

And in the subcutaneuous tissue, fat cells reduce in size, and can no longer plump out any areas of weaker skin.

The skin also produces less natural oil and sweat, and becomes less able to retain moisture.

All of these changes combine to create skin that is much more likely to crease, and for these temporary creases to become permanent lines.

Is there such thing as anti-wrinkle skincare?

I hate to state the obvious but we will all get older, and fighting the ageing process is an uphill battle!

That being said, there are many steps we can take to help us grow old gracefully:

• keep skin as healthy, strong and hydrated as possible by regularly moisturising and conditioning the skin with products rich in Essential Fatty Acids.

• stay out of the sun. Over-exposure to UVA & UVB rays breaks down Collagen, so skin becomes weak and loose prematurely.

• don’t smoke. Smoking depletes our Vitamin C sources, and so smokers produce less Collagen.

• embrace antioxidants in your diet and products, which prevent pollutants in our environment from breaking down Collagen.

In a recent interview with Bella Sugar magazine, the organic beauty revealed that the one products she can’t live without is Rosehip oil.

Miranda says,

‘As a minimum I like to do a 3-step Cleanse, Toner and Moisturise…and I like to use Rosehip oil at night.

Rosehip is full of antioxidants, and really works at a cellular level to rejuvenate the skin’.

Like many of the best things in life, Rosehip oil is super fragile – for a stable, long-lasting and super-antioxidising oil, we add 100% natural Vitamin E.

Pai’s Rosehip BioRegenerate oil is also unique in containing oil from the fruit and the seed of the hip, making it incredibly effective at improving the appearance of scars, stretch marks, fine lines and uneven skin tones.

Apply 2-3 times a week in the evenings for that model-like glow!

You can watch Miranda’s interview in full here.

I’ve been there.

When you have unpredictable skin the huge temptation is to amass a large army of products to help you get it under control.

But most often this only throws your skin even more off-balance, and reactions may become more frequent and prolonged.

Whenever I’m asked for advice about a reaction to one or more products, the first thing I say is “give your skin a rest”.

Chopping and changing between products regularly can leave skin very confused, as it readjusts to the varying oil levels in each.

Apply too many products too often, and your skin simply can’t keep up, and may breakout, dry-out or develop a red reaction in protest.

If you do have particularly sensitive skin, allow it to rediscover its natural balance and do your best to protect this from the inside and out.

Increasing your intake of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3,6&9) can help calm and condition the skin, as they are powerful anti-inflammatories.

In terms of products, select a staple Cleanser, Toner and Moisturiser that you know your skin responds well to (the Pai Starter Kit is a good place to start!).

If you like to use extra treatment products such as Oils, Exfoliator or Masks – try and stick to 2-3 applications per week.

And as always, if you need help stripping back your skincare regime – our team of experts is on hand to help. Just email support@paiskincare.com.

Fancy winning a spa break worth €1000? Of course you do!

To be in with a chance, all you have to do is tell STELLAR magazine which beauty products you’ve been loving over the past year.

While we’ve been collecting lots of awards for our sensitive skin-loving products at home in the UK, we’ve yet to pick up an Irish gong – so if you’re a Pai fan then please do vote for us!

You can place your nominations online here – the top products in each category will then go through to a second round of public voting.

Follow the second of the two links to enter the details of your favourite skincare products.

Thanks for all your support Ireland!

While we’re all very familiar with the concept of GM foods, it’s a process that’s rarely connected with the beauty industry.

However there are various cosmetic ingredients that can come from GM sources, and while we’re not ingesting them directly some people may still wish to avoid these where possible.

According to Cosmeticsinfo.org:

‘Cosmetic ingredients potentially derived from Genetically Modified Organisms include ingredients such as corn oil, corn flour, soybean oil, lecithin and proteins produced by yeast.’

If in doubt, go for a product that carries an organic certification kitemark.

As Pai is certified by the Soil Association, you can guarantee that absolutely none of our products contain GM ingredients.

We’re all about keeping things as pure as possible!