KAYO - Detox Mask to Scrub

Everybody needs a little self-love after the past year of Covid disruption. So here at The Amazing Blog we’re looking again at more home-spa products as we enter, yet again, another lockdown here in the UK.  Today we are featuring The Kayo Detox Mask to Scrub, which helps the body to detox and start afresh.

Founder Christine Bullock believes in the idea that taking care of your skin should not stop at your chin. She knows first-hand about taking care of the skin as a renowned fitness expert; Bullock saw the skin on her body ageing faster than the skin on her face! She scoured the internet to find consumer beauty products specifically created for ‘rejuvenating the body’ but drew a blank. This propelled her on her journey to design a skincare regime specifically formulated for the body as a solution-based range and two years later, she launched KAYO Body Care. Bullock commented: “The skin on your body is just as important as the skin on your face. Yet, the industry does not treat it as such. The goal with KAYO Body Care is to change this complacent way of thinking about skin and body care. Our skin is our largest organ. Keeping it healthy not just from the inside out but the outside in is vital for overall health." These products are face grade ingredients but for the body and are made in small batches at a family-owned and run lab. All products are cruelty-free using only clean and effective ingredients that revitalise the skin and help to fight against damaging elements such as pollution and UV rays.

The KAYO Detox Mask to Scrub they describe as an ‘all-in-one’ product. However, we think it is more of a ‘two-in-one’ product; It provides not only a mask but also an exfoliant scrub for the whole body which is suitable for all skin types. The mask gives hydration, by locking in the skin’s natural moisture. In contrast, the scrub washes away dirt, pollutants and toxins that contribute to many skin issues.  They also call it a ‘Face Grade Body Care®’ and it’s certainly a first for us to try. By using this Detox Mask to Scrub, it will help to give a healthy, smoother and more glowy skin and comes in a sleek bathroom-friendly 70g white plastic tub with a gold accent screw-on lid. It has a slightly fruity fragrance with key ingredients such as bamboo charcoal, which clears pores helping remove impurities such as chemicals and dirt. This works together with the kaolin clay which also gently cleanses and balances the body oils; absorbing impurities by purifying and detoxifying, plus soothing sensitive and irritable skin. The volcanic pumice here acts as the exfoliant by buffing away the dead skin. Whereas the aloe vera juice, coconut and avocado oils, and shea butter all come together to hydrate the skin. We found it easy to apply, massaging it into damp skin, then leaving it on for up to five minutes, followed by either soaking off in the bath or rinsing away in the shower.  It gets thet thumbs up from us as it left our body feel clean and energised - ready to take on the day! To purchase your KAYO Detox Mask to Scrub at $54 see here.

A.T. Antao - Aqua Fresh Cleanser

We’ve featured this international skincare brand A.T Antao a few times before here on The Amazing Blog. They very kindly sent us more of their products, two of which were nominated at the CEW Beauty Awards 2019, the first of which we’re reviewing today with their Aqua Fresh Cleanser.

A.T. Antao was founded in 2014 by successful entrepreneur and skincare expert Teniya Tao who has made it her mission, to share the power of her Chinese ancestral ingredients, with women across the globe. Teniya also wants to empower women, “to realise their own potential. Self-belief, confidence, competence, and independence are achievable and realistic goals for all, under the dynamic leadership of Teniya and in partnership with her brand A.T.“ She actively encourages women to be in charge of their own destiny, which in Chinese, translates rather charmingly as: "Be your own Queen’.

The Aqua Fresh Cleanser is a light and non-greasy cleanser (good for combination or oily skins) it acts as a 2-in-1, as it not only cleanses but also hydrates. It feels smooth and balm-like when applied to the face. However, when it makes contact with water, the balm transforms into creamy lotion, melting away any stubborn makeup residue. Thanks to its numerous oils, like olive, rose, grape seed and sea buckthorn; it leaves the pores free from impurities and daily grime, with skin velvet-soft to the touch fragranced with rose. As a formula, they have created this to work in tandem with the pH balance of the skin. It efficiently cleanses without drying, making it ideal for winter. It comes in a stylish pearlised pink tub with the palest pink translucent balm, that when you open the jar, you’re greeted with a delicate aroma that is unmistakably rose.  Much as we loved the texture, fragrance and performance of this cleanser, there were a few things on the ingredients list that we must point out. It was disappointing to see a few of our no-nos here with their use of the preservative methylparaben. Sadly, as we read further down the list, we realised that this is not a natural formula, as it also contains microcrystalline wax, ethylhexyl palmitate, polyethylene, cocopoly-7, cocoyl and aminopropyl betaine. Our hope is that the brand might one day think about reformulating this with more natural ingredients for the future? To use, apply to the face with the provided spatula, add water, and massage in gently. Finally, rinse off and gently dry your skin.  You can purchase this rose-scented Aqua Fresh cleanser for £18.90 here.

KLEAF - Hair Care

When we say ‘hair care’ one immediately assumes that we’re talking about just a shampoo or conditioner. What we forget here the most essential step, which is taking care of the scalp. Scalp exfoliation is not a subject that is often talked about in the glamorous world of beauty, but we think that this is where the journey to having beautiful hair starts. A few weeks ago, at The Amazing Blog, we were kindly sent a set of KLEAF which are an extraordinary Scalp Optimizing Trio that we want to share with you.

KLEAF is a Malaysian hair care that is part of Luxurcraft PLT who are a GDPMD certified and approved company that distributes and exports premium sulphate-free scalp care products. KLEAF focuses on offering safe, cruelty-free and natural hair care. Their primary mission is to free scalps from parabens, harsh sulphates, and the ever-so-famous silicones that are still very present in the haircare industry today. Are silicones that bad? Even though they have not been proven to cause any harm to our skin, in the long run, their use becomes counterproductive as they leave a water-resistant film on the hair strands and scalp that doesn’t wash away easily. But I hear you ask; doesn’t this film benefit the skin as it protects it from pollution and retains hydration? At first yes, so short-term, your skin and your hair will look shiny and healthy. Except that as it does not rinse off with ease, it ends up retaining dirt, pollution, and dead cells; thus causing more build-up, therefore interfering with cell-renewal and eventually making your hair look dull and feel heavy. You might have noticed that when knowingly using make-up with silicones, it’s more difficult to remove. The residue is still there the second time around and sometimes even the third! This is because of the silicone coating. But that’s not all. This protective film also blocks the skin from all nourishing ingredients that are supposed to penetrate the skin or the scalp. Plus, research has shown that silicones are not the best thing for the planet, taking up to 500 years for them to biodegrade. KLEAF formulas, which were originally conceived in France, have succeeded in producing an all-natural trio of hair care alternatives to free hair from unwanted chemical residue. What impresses us is KLEAF's transparency here, as a responsible committed and sustainable business, that also prioritises their ingredients to be environmentally friendly.

This is where the KLEAF Scalp Purifying Exfoliator comes into play. Everyone who is beauty-aware knows the importance of exfoliating their skin regularly to get the best results. The scalp being nothing more than the skin on top of our head (and under our hair) which needs the same! When switching to an all-natural hair care routine, the exfoliation will help remove all residue from silicones that have been sitting on your scalp. In this formula, with its micronized walnut shells unclog the hair follicles by freeing them from build-up and product residue, while the small Himalayan salt crystals detoxify the scalp, and the sweet almond and basil oils gently purify whilst nourishing the skin. Like your usual skin scrub, you can use this exfoliator once or twice a week (maximum), before your shampoo, or instead of your shampoo. On the scalp, the solution feels cool and tingles slightly. Massage for about 3 minutes, then rinse away. After use, our hair felt incredibly clean and light, and we noticed a little more volume than usual and a scalp that was less itchy.

Next, we have the KLEAF Scalp Optimizing Shampoo, which is a plant-based stimulating shampoo. In this product, piroctone olamine’s anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties are used to reduce hair loss and inflammation. At the same time, the caffeine stimulates the follicles and strengthens the hair, extending its life cycle. These allow the hair to be efficiently cleansed while the basil, argan, and sweet almond oils nourish the hair to keep it healthy and supple. Again, on the scalp, this lotion-like shampoo feels cool and refreshing, and the basil smell (almost licoricey) is to die for. Our hair looked healthier and lighter and with more volume. To use, massage on wet scalp and leave on for 2 to 3 minutes.

The third product of the set is the KLEAF Hair Strengthening Conditioner, which helps the hair stay silky smooth, healthy, and resistant to breakage without the use of any silicones. In this thicker formula, the glycerine and jojoba & basil oils ensure that your locks are deeply nourished, without leaving any excess. We think that it has a delicious fresh basil fragrance and used it as a regular conditioner after shampoo. They recommend avoiding the scalp, leaving it on for about 2 minutes and then rinsing thoroughly. Afterwards, our hair smelt almost garden-fresh and felt clean, light and shiny with our curls that looked more naturally defined.  This is definitely one of our top hair care #amazingfinds for 2020. In the office, we had to toss a coin to decide who got to keep this set – that’s how much we loved it!

For optimal results, KLEAF advises combining these three products. You can purchase the set for 255 AED (approximately £48) on their European distributor’s website at Advik Beauty’s here who very kind to send us these products.

Oh My Garden - Balancing Facial Oil

Although we think that ageing gracefully is a beautiful thing, we always use a daily skincare to enhance and protect our complexions at The Amazing Blog. As this is our favourite time of year to use face oils, today we are featuring a new brand Oh My Garden with their natural Balancing Facial Oil.

Oh My Garden is a Canadian natural beauty brand. The story began when after spending almost, a year following a 10-step skincare routine, the founder Togzhan Jumagulova was astonished to learn how much plastic was used in these products. As a researcher with a PhD, her curiosity led her on to research further the effect not only on the beauty industry but on the environment. She was horrified to learn about the microplastics and silicone build-up, plus the toxicity levels of some synthetic compounds, and the unsustainable practices within the beauty industry. She wanted to make a difference, which is when in 2019 Jumagulova created this skincare line of Oh My Garden. The brand’s goal is to provide environmentally conscious and scientific-based ingredients for the consumer that are natural, vegan and cruelty-free. As Jumagulova says, “Beauty is more than maintaining good looks. It’s about self-care, it’s a ritual of self-love. It’s about staying healthy and saying “thank you” to our bodies. Textures, subtle natural aromas, colours, and packaging - everything we create we design to add vibrancy and excitement to your everyday life.”  Oh My Garden believes that skincare should be an expression of self-love and the Balancing Facial Oil here is one of four products in their collection.

This Balancing Facial Oil can be used by all skin types; however, it is formulated for combination and oily skin. The golden oil used just by itself gives the skin a glorious glow. The main use of this oil is to balance sebum production in the skin. The skin’s response to dry skin is to produce more oil for the moisture lost, which then results in oiler skin, leading on to more problems. Jumagulova explained the benefits of using this Facial Oil: “This might sound counterintuitive, but the great solution for this issue is rightly chosen facial oil. The plant oils form a breathable occlusive layer that stops water from evaporating and also gradually restore the skin barrier and calm irritations. As a result, the skin stops losing the moisture and the sebum production naturally regulates back to normal.” Let’s look at the key ingredients starting with the Abyssinian oil which is rich in an array of vitamins such as B1, B2, A, B6, E and C. It is considered one of the best moisturisers because it locks in hydration and eliminates dead skin giving a youthful look. The argan oil contains antioxidants such as polyphenols and vitamin E, which help brighten the skin and protect the skin from sun damage (although you still need to use sunscreen). Meadowfoam seed oil’s most significant benefit is to bring balance to the skin (our photo above is with the Meadowfoam flower). Squalane can help with hydration, boosts collagen giving the skin a firmer feel, and contains anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness and swelling. The raspberry seed oil helps control oil production, fights against wrinkles and acne. Sea buckthorn oil helps skin elasticity and regenerating cells. The prickly pear seed oil contains high amounts of antioxidants which can help prevent skin damage, ageing and breakouts. Tocopherol (AKA vitamin E) has properties that defend the skin from pollution and environmental stressors. Ylang-ylang here is considered an essential oil and in skincare, it regulates oil production while soothing irritation and inflammation. Similarly, tea tree oil soothes redness and is also an antimicrobial. This Balancing Facial Oil is lightweight and absorbs quickly, the fragrance is neutral, if anything we detected a slight delicious nuttiness. We applied a few drops directly to the face, which we then massaged gently in. It didn’t feel ‘oily’ at all, in fact, now the sun strength has gone and we’re moving towards winter, we’d be happy to use this alone (or under SPF), it also makes an excellent primer for makeup. To purchase a 30ml bottle Oh My Garden Balancing Facial Oil for $45 see here.

Dilmaherbals: Ojas Anti-blemish Cream

As always here at The Amazing Blog we’re on the hunt to find new and unusual skincare. Today we’ve hit the jackpot with an exciting new skincare that unlocks the power of Indian herbs,  let us introduce Dilmaherbals with their Ojas Anti-Blemish Night Cream.

After backpacking around South America and India and leaving his full-time job as a pharmacist in between the two trips, founder Gaurav Gupta’s curiosity led him onto learning more about native Indian herbs and natural remedies. This, in turn, was the inspiration for creating his own range of skincare Dilmaherbals. Bringing together experts from the skincare, pharmaceutical and Indian herbal professions, he and his formidable team, created Dilmaherbal skincare with its effective and natural formulas, with Indian herbs and natural oils. The name ‘Dilma’ comes from the Hindi words for heart and mother, which are ‘dil’ and ‘ma’ respectively. The ‘herbals’ part of the name comes from all the India herbs sourced from the Himalayan mountains to the deserts of Rajasthan, where these extracts are used in the production of the range. We particularly admire Dilmaherbals for their ‘giving back’ policy where they have formed a partnership with the Indian charity Railway Children, who help children that live alone and who are at risk on the streets, and Dilmaherbal commits to donating 5% of their profits.

The Ojas Anti-Blemish Cream is their popular hero night cream, it’s rich, velvety and perfectly suitable for the day too (i.e. now in a British autumn/winter). The translation of Ojas is ‘beautiful energy’ and it is designed to help even out skin tone, balance oils, and with its brightening effect reduce the signs of ageing. With its long-lasting hydration and creamy texture, this means a little goes a long way, leaving the skin feeling super-soft. Created from a mix of 17 herbal extract and natural oils, it is 94.52% from naturally derived ingredients. Let’s talk about some of the key Indian herbal ingredients found here: The amla extract (aka as the Indian gooseberry) grown in tropical areas such as Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. It’s high in vitamin C and these antioxidants restore and brightening the complexion as well as helping to reduce any pigmentation. Vitamin C also stimulates collagen production, which in turn, keeps the skin smooth. The Neelotpala extract is considered a sacred flower that is found throughout India; it balances natural oils and prevents breakouts and provides instant hydration. Tulsi extract (aka Holy Basil) a sacred plant widely regarded in the Hindu culture as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulsi. This plant is found in the Sasangir National Park, and is full of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes; the benefits of which are anti-ageing with lightening of dark spots, improving skin texture and healing scars. The manjistha root extract here is found in the high-altitude regions of the Himalayan mountains. With its antibacterial properties, it provides healthier-looking skin by improving colour and texture, giving a cleaner and clearer complexion. Finally, we have the ushira root extract (aka vetiveria zizannoides) which is grown specifically in Punjab, Kerala and Assam. The properties here help reduce inflammation and can help heal cuts. It also boosts skin cell regeneration and growth of new cells, giving a radiant-looking skin. 

Our verdict is that this is a keeper… it smells fresh and floral (the white lily and geranium oil?) it absorbs well, and with the addition of Argan, avocado and shea butter in the base, it will protect the skin against harsh winds and the cold weather ahead. If you’d like to add some of nature’s purest ingredients into your skincare regime, then visit Dilmaherbals here to purchase your 60ml of  Ojas Anti-Blemish Night Cream for £32.00.