New products have been added. Many of these products have recently been reformulated with more active ingredients and a greater gel component,  giving a lighter feel on the skin and more hydrating properties. I am currently running a 6 week skincare product trial for locals to give me feedback about the new formulations.

If you are in or near  Rotorua and would like to be part of the trial, please send me an email : carol@careem.co.nz.
In the mean time people keep asking me for the price list, so here it is - finally!

The Low Down On Anti-aging Protection For Your Skin

Lately, I’ve been researching into anti-aging products and how they may help your skin stay fresher and younger-looking.  This is because I have discovered some great new ingredients to use in my skin care products that seem to work really well. And other ingredients that I know and prescribe as a naturopath to reverse the main causes of internal aging and illness (help! my body is degenerating). And now they are being used externally and promoted commercially as “new” magic anti-aging ingredients.

There is one common factor – INFLAMMATION. No, you can’t see it or feel it, but it is present in many of us at a cellular level, working away and damaging the integrity and structure of your body. This is caused by the activity of free radicals that create an “oxidation chain reaction”. This results in small, incremental damage over time, so that the results are not obvious until you have some niggly symptoms some time later - even years later. You may eventually feel less energetic, slightly creaky in the joints, have minor ongoing sinus, get eczema or allergies that you didn’t have before, have digestive issues….and start to show some of the 7 signs of aging. Including wrinkles.

If you were a “flower child” of the ‘1950s, 1960’s or even 1970s, its likely that you smothered yourself in oil and lay out in the sun to get an all over, even suntan. It was your number one beauty tool – or so we thought! Remember Q-tol to soothe sunburn? But where was our sunscreen in those days? Sitting in the shade or wearing a long sleeved shirt was the only sunscreen that I remember.

3. What Causes Age Spots?

Over your life time, ultra violet rays reach into your skin and stimulate the action of special pigmentation-generating cells called melanocytes, which increases melanin production. This is the basis of a sun tan.

How do you know if age spots are ready and waiting, under your skin? Beauty Therapists use a “black lamp” also known as a Skin Scanner or Woods Lamp which can see under the surface of your skin. What is visible on the surface can look totally different to what is actually happening underneath your skin. Scary!

4. What’s All The Fuss About Collagen?

If you watch the ads, you will know that boosting collagen is the key to anti-aging skin care. But what do you actually know about collagen?

Collagen is part of our “connective tissue”. It creates tensile strength and support to our bodies. Collagen is not only a component of skin, but also of the rest of our body. It is what gives our skin firmness and support. When it is depleted and not replaced quickly enough, skin starts to become slack and fine wrinkles begin to appear.

Depleted levels of collagen production are a “side effect” of decreasing hormone levels – especially accelerating around the time of menopause. Which is why all those thousands of women who used to take HRT also had nice skin. But now the alarming health risks of taking HRT are well known, and it is no longer a drug to be used lightly by the masses who are afraid of growing old, or of going through menopause naturally.

By applying collagen to the skin, we can only hope for one result – it helps retain moisture, thus plumping up fine lines and making wrinkles less obvious. But it doesn’t actually replace the lost collagen because the size of the molecule of collagen cannot penetrate the surface of your skin.

5. What about taking collagen internally?

I’m not convinced that this one action will result in your having beautiful, ageless skin. The trouble is that if your whole body is depleted in collagen, there is no way of telling the capsule contents to just to go to your skin. It will go wherever your body most needs it first.

And no doubt you have been reading all of this - with a furrowed brow!- thinking:

6. OK. So How Do I Stop My Aging Process?

Alright, maybe “stop” is too much to expect.
Would you be happy with “slowing down” the aging process?

• Stop those niggly health issues and create an anti-inflammatory lifestyle
• Eat plenty of anti-oxidant veges & fruit and collagen-containing broths
• Wear a daily broad spectrum sun block on your face winter and summer.
• Reduce superficial age spots with a series of beauty salon gentle fruit acid treatments –best done in winter
• Stimulate cellular production of collagen on your skin with a series of beauty salon electrical galvanic treatments
• Have a Skin Analysis and establish a daily skin care routine suited to
  your skin type
• Take supplements known to beautify your skin
• Sweat through your skin for 15 mins daily – exercise, brisk walk, sauna, bath
• Get enough sleep – exhaustion shows in your face
• Take control of your stress, so it doesn’t manage you. Worry makes wrinkles!

If you grew up in the days of the Beatles, flower power and wore psychedelic hippie clothing, when “ natural skincare” meant washing your face with soap and water, then your skin needs my help, NOW!

You probably weren’t shown how to look after your skin back then. Your mother had lived through the depression and endured food rationing during World War 2. Busy mothers didn’t paint their faces then –perhaps a touch of lipstick and rouge for a special night out- as the meagre family budget barely covered your schooling needs. Cosmetics were scare and a luxury item. Product choice was very limited. And those who wore more makeup than the norm were considered “ loose women”. So if Mum didn’t have many skills in makeup and personal grooming, then she couldn’t pass them on to you!  

Fast forward to the 70s when Mary Quant cosmetics were in vogue. Heavy, black eye lids. Thick mascara. Caked-on foundation that left a tell tale stripe around your jaw, racing-stripe blusher that swept skywards from your cheeks. It all took hours to put on. And its not a good look for today’s Baby Boomers to use any more.

If you are more of a practical Kiwi girl, then its likely that you barely use makeup. The rules have changed (what are they these days?), the old makeup comes out occasionally (how long have I had it?), but by the end of the night, the foundation sinks right into the wrinkles and shows them off a treat. The old sparkly eye shadow doesn’t stay either – it just slips off into the “crinkles” – those smile lines that seem to be gathering uninvited friends at the corners of your eyes. To make it even worse, the hot flushes reduce your makeup to watery streaks down your face! Since you go to the gym regularly, valiantly struggling against the never ending battle of the bulge, you just haven’t time to work at the makeup afterwards before you race out to your busy schedule.

Your skin changes as the decades slip by. What your skin could put up with in your youth is not what it can cope with today, if you still want to retain a youthful appearance. OK, so you’ve rushed out and bought the latest anti-wrinkle formula that has been advertised on TV. But it didn’t work. Again. You resolve never to be taken in again by emotive advertising claims. You’ve tried it. You’ve been around long enough to know that wrinkles don’t disappear from the application one tiny jar of incredibly expensive cream….but there’s always hope.

The good news is that is never too late to start caring for your skin properly. Naturally. Once you know what to do, its really easy!

These days its all about having nourished skin as a basis for a natural looking makeup. Having a correct skincare routine for your skin is the key. No, it won’t take you long – just pat it on as you are dressing for the day and undressing at night. A 40 minute skin assessment first will show us what your skin needs.

Mineral makeup is taking the world by storm, and for good reason:

• It is natural – like minerals from the earth that were used by Cleopatra!
• Fast to apply
• Easy to use
• Stays in place until you take it off
• Even resists hot sweats and gym workouts
• Has an SPF of 20
• Looks incredibly fresh and natural
• Even hides fine lines and wrinkles.

Come and let me show you how to update your look and become a beautifully groomed, natural woman – at any age!

89 Acacia Rd, Lake Okareka, RD5 Rotorua, New Zealand

But now things have changed.

They envy how young and healthy my skin looks and I’m well past my 40s now. People keep asking me how they can get their skin looking as great as mine!

No-one taught me how to care for my skin, I just picked it up from women’s magazines. There were bursts of caring for my skin and when I got too busy, I simply ignored it.

In fact, there was nothing remarkable about my skin or my general complexion, in the least!

But Then Things Changed……

I started really looking after my skin from the time I turned 40.

That’s when I changed career and became a student, studying naturopathy, medical herbalism and aromatherapy.

My mission was to create a skin cream for myself that was natural, chemical free and made the most of the wonderful curative properties in the plants that I was studying. Many experiments later - with greatly varying success over the years– I finally discovered what to do for my skin and how to make a variety of creams for people aged 40 years and over.

I must not forget to mention that the internal environment of your body is a major factor in the overall health of your skin.Important lifestyle things to help your skin include:

• Eating plenty of fresh fruit and veges at every meal, every day,
• cutting out the junk food,
• greatly slowing down the alcohol and caffeine intake,
• limiting sugar & chocolate intake,
• managing stress,
• managing hormonal changes,
• getting daily exercise to the point of sweating – which cleanses your pores from the inside.

Now that I am a Beauty Therapist too, I have found many of the answers that I was searching for in relation to how analyse and care for skin of all types.

But the simplest way to great skin is to have an easy routine that you do morning and night. Here’s how I advise my clients to use the products I make:

 Why? Gently lifts off the oil and water based impurities from the environment that have accumulated on your skin, ready to be absorbed into your body. Yuck! The second application of cleanser ensures that makeup has been removed from your pores and surface of your skin.

Dampen your hands, put 2 pumps of cleanser in one hand. Rub hands together and gently smooth product on your skin in a upward direction.

Use small circles where oil, dirt & makeup accumulates – sides of your nose, forehead, side of your face & under your jaw line.

Splash off with WARM – not hot- water. Or wash off with a face cloth. If I am wearing make up, I like to use a small microfibre towel to ensure I get everything off cleanly.

Why? After cleansing to rebalance the protective acid mantle of your skin and to leave your skin fresh and clear.

I designed my toner as a nourishing water-containing gel to stay on the skin and provide much- needed rehydration.

Two pumps on your hands, rub hands together and then smooth over your face, from the middle to the outside, always in an upward direction.

Leave it until it dries but is still “tacky”. Now apply the moisturiser.

Exfoliate (scrub):

Why? To help your skin in its natural process of shedding dead skin cells. This has the effect of brightening your complexion and allows the products you use to penetrate the underlying layers of your skin more effectively. In the past, scrubs were too harsh on the skin, with large-grit particles acting like a coarse rasp on your skin. They were best for thicker, oily skin and only to be used once every 3 to 7 days. Now we have enzymatic exfoliants which are more gentle on your 40+ skin! The exfoliant I make is so gentle that you can use it every day. In fact it can replace the morning cleanse because it has a natural cleanser in it – NZ native plant, also known as “Gum diggers soap”.

This product is the only one in a plastic container – the rest are recyclable glass- so that it can be used safely in the shower.

When you get in the shower, splash water on your face with your hands. DO NOT put your face directly under the shower as this weakens and damages your skin, creating broken capillaries on your face. So having splashed cooler water on your face, put 1 -2 pumps of the scrub on your hands and rub gently over your face. Leave it on and splash it off just before you get out of the shower.

Why? Moisturisers help protect your skin from dehydrating during the day, nourish the skin with their active ingredients and provide a softer, smoother, healthier skin surface. This also helps makeup sit perfectly on your skin. I make three different moisturisers, depending on the skin type.

Method of use:

It is important to remember that the natural oils in these creams make them spread a long way, so you only need a little at a time.

There is a right way and a wrong way to apply your moisturiser.

The wrong way is to rub it in vigorously as though it is an ointment or rubbing liniment!  

 Take a small amount – half a tsp max – and rub it between your hands, then apply the cream to your face by patting your hands all over your face. Gently massage it in, going from the centre to the edges of your face until it is all absorbed. Or you can just keep pressing, patting your hands over your face until the cream is absorbed.

 Why? Night moisturisers make the most of the time that you are not rushing around, stressing out your skin. When you sleep, the body repairs your skin and –hopefully- it will choose some of the nourishing ingredients you have in the products that you placed on your skin before you went to bed. Night creams can provide targeted treatment for issues such as dehydration, dryness, redness, signs of aging and devitalised skin.

Although I have one “official” night cream, I will sometimes suggest a combination of moisturisers, one of which would be used at night.

 Use the same application method as Moisturisers (above).

Why? These are targeted treatments that are put under your moisturiser and night cream, so correct a skin condition.

The most used serum is my Red Vein Serum (see accompanying post)

 Apply a small amount from the pump onto your finger tip and gently massage it into the red vein area.

Leave until becomes “tacky” then apply moisturiser.

Incredibly Quick Morning Routine:

 Cleanse - exfoliate in the shower.

Wash it off as you climb out.

Dab your skin dry with your bath towel as you reach for it. The pop on the toner.

Keep drying your body while the toner dries.

Pat on the moisturiser and get dressed while it dries.

Then pop on some sunscreen and while it is drying, do your hair.

Everything is now dry on your skin and ready for make up – if you are wearing it today.

It has taken no extra time and you feel great afterwards!

Dead-On-Your-Feet Evening Routine

 Cleanse – pat it on once & splash it off.

Pat it on again. Leave on and

Wipe over whole face with a damp microfibre cloth

Toner – pat on; undress while it dries

Put on night wear and collapse into bed.

What Caused The Red Veins On My Face?

Even more to the point – what exactly are those red thread-like veins?

Actually they are overly-enlarged capillaries, containing blood. The walls that normally keep your microscopic capillaries invisible have become weaker and weaker over time, and they have ballooned out and ruptured – just like a bicycle tyre – and leak blood until they show under your skin.

As Naturopaths, we call this “capillary fragility”. But the more exact description is over dilated, excessively permeable, broken capillaries.

The same mechanism of weakened blood vessel walls also creates cold hands and feet, varicose veins and haemorrhoids. It is quite possible that you also have these additional “afflictions”!

Biological Functions of the Capillaries

Capillaries are microscopic Blood Vessels that connect Arterioles (tiny arteries that carry red, oxygenated blood from the heart to the cells) and Venules (equally tiny veins that take away blue, de-oxygenated blood back from the cells to the heart for cleansing).

Adapted from: In-Tele-Health © 2006 (from Hyperhealth Pro CD-ROM)

1. Chemical, air pollution, tobacco smoke & alcohol exposure

Acetaldehyde exposure is thought to cause “stiffening” of the Cell Membranes of Red Blood Cells. This process reduces the essential shape-changing ability  of Red Blood Cells, inhibiting their ability to squeeze into Capillaries. The fragile capillary walls become under-nourished and weakened, ready to burst. Adapted from In-Tele-Health © 2006

It is also present in large amounts in the body after drinking alcohol. What’s more, in some people it can cause an alcohol flush reaction, in which acetaldehyde accumulates after drinking, leading to severe and immediate hangover symptoms. And create visible red capillariies on the face.

2. Sunlight and wind exposure – unprotected skin while you are enjoying the great outdoors

UVA and UVB rays not only cause skin cancers and sunburn - they also destroy the vital structure of the skin.

Yes, UV rays – whether from the sun or sun beds (which are actually even worse for aging your skin) - break down collagen and elastin fibres because they can penetrate deeply underneath your skin.

Collagen is an essential component of Capillaries as well as the component of skin that stops the wrinkles forming.

The main building block of collagen is vitamin C.

Are you getting enough fresh green vegetables and fresh fruit? Every meal, every day? For the last 20 years or so?

Elastin is a component of the connective tissues of the walls of Capillaries (it provides elasticity to Capillaries).

No elastic means brittle walls and bleeding capillaries.

Adapted from In-Tele-Health © 2006 (from Hyperhealth Pro CD-ROM)

3. Medication prescribed for acne or inflammation – cortisone weakens the structure of your cell walls, weakening all organ functions, including your capillaries. Use it only as infrequently as you have to. Especially avoid ongoing rub-on cortisone creams for your skin, usually prescribed for controlling eczema. Instead, look to natural means to treat eczema from within for lasting results.

I have made a special gel called (surprise) Red Vein Gel, which works well to reduce the underlying red glow and firm up fine capillaries, reducing the appearance of red capipllaries if used daily for at least 3 months.

Longer term, there are non-invasive salon treatments, supplements you can take and foods you can eat to replace those missing nutrients that your body needs to rebuild stronger capillary walls.

Oh, and remember to protect yourself NOW from further damage–

• use a natural zinc based sun block every day, winter & summer,
• if you’re going to be in the wind, add some heavy duty moisturiser to protect your skin, under the sun block
• use natural, chemical-free skincare with lots of nutrients, especially vitamins C, A and E to strengthen your skin
• always wear a hat outdoors,
• don’t use hot water on your face,
• ·don’t have long soaks in really hot water,
• and drink only very small amounts of alcohol. Or none!
• drink 2 litres of water daily

These are notes I have made for my clients who realise that age has crept up on them unawares and that they don’t like the look of those wrinkles that suddenly leap out at them from the mirror these days.

In general, I find that people are unaware of the existance of salon anti-aging treatments that actually work. No, you don’t need botox injections or plastic surgey to start looking younger!

It is amazing how a few extra seconds spent on your skin morning and evening, plus a really healthy diet - even a detox to kick things off- and some professional salon treatments can give you results that everyone will be commenting on. Fresher, smoother skin, fewer wrinkles, younger and healthier complexion. With less stress, less pain and waaay less expense.

• Discover your true skin type. Skin types change as the decades roll past!
  For instance, your skin might have been very oily once, but its changing now.
• Find out how your skin can look fresher and younger. Besides using wonderfully natural Careem Natural Skincare products, which support the treatment plan
• Discover what products your skin actually needs to look younger and fresher.·    
• Understand what foods and supplements your body is crying out for, so that you can slow your aging process. 

What Are The Advantages Of An Anti-aging Facial?

• Combines science with skincare - uses a special machine that has 6 different functions,
  depending on your skin type and current condition of your skin. 
• Now you can enjoy the benefits of advanced facial treatment and discover the safe,
  natural alternatives to invasive surgery and nasty injections. 
• Uses specialised programmes that infuse products into the skin more deeply than is possible
  during a standard facial. Which means that you can see results much faster!

•    Stimulates the normal production of collagen and elsatin fibres deep within the skin, over a course of treatments. This is the scaffolding that your skin sits on. Which time and UVA light damage, causing premature aging. So the more you can produce, the better – and the fewer visible lines and wrinkles you’ll have.
• Returns a more youthful skin tone by stimulating blood circulation to feed the skin cells and aiding lymphatic return to boost toxin removal. Leaving you with a fresher, younger looking complexion – so much faster
•    Deep cleanses & unblocks congested pores. Used for people with recurrent acne or blackheads to relax the pores and stimulate them to expel their contents. Sounds yucky, but you don’t see it because it all happens at a microscopic level .  
• Actively stimulates lymphatic drainage of the face to relieve that “gritty” feeling under the skin which shows that your skin is congested with waste products that don’t move out readily. When I first had this done, I was amazed at how much fresher and softer my skin looked.
• Boosts your self confidence as you start to see results! It will probably spur you on to doing lots of other good things for yourself.

Organise your course of
Anti-aging facial treatments today

Although one treatment will have a ‘pick me up” effect on your skin, which is great for a special occasion,  for best results I recommend a course of 10 x 1 hour sessions, 

• Once or twice a week
• Then monthly maintenance sessions.
• A Package is available along with easy payment options.

Carol Bannister

BHSc, Dip Naturopathy, Dip Medical Herbalism, Dip Aromatherapy, Dip Spa Therapy, Dip Beautician & Cosmetology

Careem Wellness Spa

Truly natural skincare products are so hard to find that I make them myself. Today I’m making another batch of my natural products.

I make them by hand every 3 to 4 months from plants that grow on our property and from natural oils and fruit extracts.

Usually 20 to 30 jars are made at any one time and I am always surprised at how quickly they are sold. They literally sell themselves!

The skin care products have steadily evolved over the last decade. My interest in making my own skin care from natural products was fanned into action while I was a student of naturopathy and herbal medicine.

My intial intention was to create a chemical-free natural skin cream for myself that did not add a toxic burden to my body. Everything had to be included for a purpose - not just as a filler. And definately no petrochemicals, parabens or artificial perfumes.

So I used my knowledge of aromatherapy to create blends that provided active treatment for the skin, my knowledge of herbal medicine to choose the best plants and fruit extracts for the skin, and my knowledge of naturopathy to include vitamins the skin needs to look and feel healthy.

There were many trials and errors over the years. Lots of stuff was discarded for various reasons.
Like setting rock-hard in the jar, ingredients that separated and refused to combine, strange concoctions that the recipe promised would work, but didn’t (beware of recipe books for making natural face creams - many are written by professional writers who have never tried them), trying to substitute key ingredients with dismal results, disgusting furry stuff growing on top….etc.

Then when I established Careem Wellness Spa, the products were finally used on more people than just myself.

Now they have a small yet growing loyal following.
Two years ago I did a 4 month study where 30 women aged 30yrs and over (most in their 40s - 50s) used the products exclusively for 4 months.
Every month they came for a facial and to check on their progress. Most had not had a regular skincare programme in place and were surprised a how little effort it took to include some cleansing, toning & moisturising in their daily routines - morning and night.

The main results we saw at the end of 4 months were:

-substantial reduction in redness of the skin and an even skin tone
-lessening of fine lines esp around the eyes
- healthier, fresher looking skin
-fading of “sun spots”
-rehydrated, smoother skin with balanced skin tone.

In other words, they looked younger and and fresher and all were delighted with the results they had obtained.
Just shows its never too late to start!

Brochure
I have finally had a brochure designed and printed. That took a while because my recipes and ingredients were always changing. If you would like to read more about Careem Natural Skincare, below is part of the final draft for the brochure.

If you would like to have a copy of the brochure - send me your name and address and I’ll ’snail” it to you.

Carol

Careem Natural Skincare

Radiant Skin Care

Just what you need for a more youthful skin. Ideal for skin 40+

Traditionally, akeake was used on the skin for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial actions which aids the healing process.

Gently lifts traces of impurities that your face collects during the day without stripping your skin of moisture. Effectively removes makeup and water based eye makeup. Gentle enough for all skin types.

Traditionally, kawakawa was used to aid healing and provide disinfectant properties for skin conditions that were irritated, red & itchy.

A balancing and healing water-based gel toner that stays on the skin under the moisturiser to lock in hydration.

Hoheria helps to smooth and soften your skin, protecting it from drying out during the day. A lovely light nutrient-rich moisturizer that is ideal under makeup.

Traditionally the base of the flax leaf was used as a powerful healer while the gel was used to soothe cuts and burns.

This rich cream deeply nourishes and repairs your skin. Packed with nutritious vitamins and natural oils to give a smooth, hydrated, radiant and youthful complexion.