Skin care for the simple-minded

You might think you don’t know about Simple Sugars, but your skin is probably already keeping tabs on the beauty brand. Founded by Lani Lazarri in an attempt to solve her own skin issues, Simple Sugars has set out to reinstate all natural ingredients into the system of skin care. And us? We’ve set out to get the girl to spill as many Simple secrets as possible.

Ingredients you should avoid

Since Lani prides her skin care line on being all natural, we were wondering exactly which ingredients we should shield our skin from. “If you can’t eat it, you shouldn’t put it on your skin,” she explains. Among the many chemicals in popular skin care lines, the big ones to watch out for are phthalates, parabens of any kind, sodium laureth sulfate and PEGs.

“PEGs come with a number listed after them and parabens are usually preceded by methyl, ethyl, butyl or propyl,” she informs us. According to Lani, they are both presevratives and can potetnially cause cancer. Whether those studies are right or wrong, it’s not a bad idea to take the precaution of all natural skincare.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a lathering agent usually found in soaps and shampoos. So, the question at-hand is what’s more important: bubbles or healthy skin? Lastly, phthalates have been linked to horomone imbalances and disruptions.

For the oily, the dry and the normal

If your skin is oily, “Don’t be afraid to use oil-based products,” says Lani. “A lot of people think that they can’t use a scrub if they have oily skin but that’s not necessarily true.” If you want to give it a whirl, try Lani’s Pink Scrub. The product is supporting breast cancer awareness during the month of October, and it’ll be a nice surprise for your skin. Lani also recommends Tea Tree Oil for oily skin, saying it’s a true miracle worker.

Then there’s the normal people of the world — Normal or combination skin can benefit from green tea. Lani tells us that it helps to prevent those dreaded breakouts without drying out your skin.

Speaking of dry skin, anything with real avacados will help you hydrate those pores, and Emu oil should be a dry gal’s right hand man. “It’s only the most amazing ingredient ever,” Lani jokes before giving a final tip: use products that are an exfoliant rather than just a lotion. Otherwise, you’re just moisturizing a layer of dead skin. “The moisture will just evaporate out which is why you have to apply lotion over and over again.”

Recipe for success

Lani’s a savvy business girl, so she wouldn’t give away too many secrets but she still offered us one simple recipe to try from home.

You’ll need: 

• Avocados
• Honey
• Milk or yogurt

“Put it all in a food processor until its creamy, then use it as a mask for about 10 minutes. Rinse it off, and your face will be super moisturized.” She tells us to refrigerate and use it cold for a cool sensation.

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