Mary Wank had had enough. At 45. she still had the skin of a teenager. And, that wasn’t a good thing. It meant acne and skin issues.
“I just couldn’t purchase another personal care product or take another prescription medication that promised me a solution only to disappoint,” she says. “I began to realize that the root cause of my problems had to be coming from the foods I was consuming, and that the topical products were just aggravating the condition. Her search for a skin care solution led her to a building a business Natural Skincare Revival. “The best part of this business is providing real solutions for problem skin that are formulated with botanical ingredients and raising awareness on the health issues associated with skin disorders,” she says.
Her palette for creating Goat’s Milk Soaps, shampoo cleansing bars and conditioners, facial cleansing, toning and moisturizing products, deodorants, and specialty creams, lotions and body butters, includes oils, extracts and hydrosols. Hydrosols — floral waters or distillates– are products from steam distilling plant materials. They are like essential oils but less of a concentration.
“My favorite ingredient is a carrier oil called Jojoba. Jojoba is a mild oil that mimics the sebum that we produce so it penetrates fast and mixes with the sebum to hydrate and keep the skin moist,” she explains. “Because it penetrates deep into the skin, I like to infuse it with a variety of dried herb combinations that bring additional benefits to whatever product I am formulating.”
Herbs are, of course, the stars. “Each herb has a host of benefits for the skin. Plant
products interact with our bodies, influencing the whole system with their chemical components. The benefit of using botanicals in natural skin care is that you derive the healing benefit of each individual plant,” she says.
“As a formulator, it is important to understand how beneficial the plant will be for each specific skin type and/or skin disorder. Personal care products that are formulated with herbal oils, extracts and hydrosols are effective and gentle to the skin, scalp and hair. Moisturizing products made with botanical ingredients absorb quickly, repair, heal and protect. Likewise, personal cleansing and toning products soothe, refine or reduce pore size so that bacterial can’t get in. They reduce redness, brighten and tone skin, restoring the natural pH balance, and nourish it.”
Among the most common herbs she works with are chamomile, lavender, rosemary, calendula and mint.
You can find Mary’s products at www.naturalskinrevival.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive weekly announcements and promotions. And, like Natural Skin Revival on Facebook or Instagram for daily access to natural skin care information.
