As a holistic Dr Hauschka esthetician I see the skin through I different lens then the majority of skincare specialist. My training as a Dr Hauschka esthetician is founded on the philosophy of Dr Rudolf Steiner, whom wikipedia describes as a 'an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist.' Rather avant guard! Rudolf Steiner instructed Dr Hauschka to study rhythm - 'rhythm caries life' were Steiner's words to Dr Hauschka. Rhythm is all around us in nature, and it is nature that inspired Rudolf Steiner. I share about Rudolf Steiner so you can understand what forms the foundation of my perspective on skin health and why 90% of the time I am disappointed with what I read in health books, magazines and online about 'proper skincare'.
Lets start with the basics, cleansing the skin. Many clients that I see for the first time either don't use any cleansing product, believing water alone can do the job or they use soap or a foaming type cleanser. Water on its own will remove about a third of the microbes on the surface on the skin, but more importantly it doesn't penetrate into fine lines and the pores. Soaps and foaming cleansers will clean your skin, but they do more then that, they remove your skins own natural oils. The use of soap and foaming type cleansers also causes the skin to puff up and lose moisture-binding elements which over time destroy the microbes essential to skin health.
It's my belief that many skincare companies, including organic skincare brands don't truly understand the way the skin functions. Misguided they promote their products and uniformed consumers buy them believing that these skincare experts must know what they are doing. Sadly in our day and age we are bombarded with information on how to care for our skin, but much of it is not reliable.
It's been my experience that woman generally focus their attention and dollars on investing in a good quality moisturizer in the hopes of correcting dry skin and preventing aging skin. Overlooked is the importance of how one cleanses the skin. We know water alone is not enough to remove dirt and the waste products the skin produces at night while we sleep. Soaps and foaming cleansers strip the skin, taking away its natural protective oil barrier causing the skin to become dry or the exact reverse, creating an imbalance in the oil glands which results in too much oil production. Going deeper into the issue of removing the natural acid mantle of the skin through harsh cleansers, is the very real problem of eczema, psoriasis and rosecea which have all been linked to bacterial imbalances of the skin or for the not so squeamish, what I am really talking about here is bugs (technically mites) on your skin that you are hosting as a result of a compromised acid mantle.
Dr Hauschka make two of the best cleansers I know of. Although other skincare lines do have cream or milk type cleansers which are more gentle to the skin, the two Dr Hauschka cleaning products have a wealth of experience and knowledge that has gone into formulating them. Circling round to Dr Rudolf Steiner, Dr Hauschka skincare employs scientists with a back ground in anthroposophical medicine. Inspired by Rudolf Steiner, anthroposophic medicine takes into account that human beings, nature and the cosmos are interrelated. Dr Hauschka skincare has been on the market for over 45 years which gives the company a deep understanding of how to care for the skin.
If you are interested in which Dr Hauschka cleanser would be appropriate for your skin I would be happy to consult with you.
Call or email me at 250 294 9913 or kdaunhauer@shaw.ca to schedule a consultation.
