Thursday, May 5, 2016

The Ritu^l : Adzuki Face Polish



Used in Japanese skin care regimens for centuries, adzuki bean powder has been used to cleanse and exfoliate the skin and to rejuvenate and brighten the complexion. Since the 18th century, Japanese noblewomen used stone ground adzuki beans for beauty: adzuki powder was placed inside a small silk bag and moistened with water to create a creamy cleanser to gently scrub the face and body (1).


ABOUT THE BRAND

An honest and bespoke skin lifestyle brand, co-founded by Shivani Prabhakar and Akanksha Sood that makes natural skincare products with pure ingredients sourced from India, Africa, Europe and America. Suited to the urban lifestyle, whether you're 'on-the-go' or looking for some 'time-out', they have something designed just for you! 




KEY INGREDIENTS & THEIR BENEFITS
  • Himalayan Red Rice: Besides offering UV protection, rice powder has exfoliating properties that can help to keep the skin looking brighter (2). Rice powder has a chemical structure similar to ceramide, and ceramide increases collagen production to make skin supple (3). It’s skin lightening properties helps fade acne marks and blemishes while it’s natural anti ageing and oil-absorbing properties, makes it ideal for oily or acne-prone and dull mature skin. It’s also a good anti-inflammatory and soothes sunburned skin (4).
  • Organic Japanese Beans: Adzuki beans have been used in Japanese skin care regimens for centuries. Powdered azduki beans are the perfect exfoliator for gently buffing away dull, dry skin and giving your face a fresh, healthy glow (5). The beans contain a natural foaming agent called saponin, which gives it a natural foaming action to  help remove dead skin cells and cleanse pores by drawing out pore clogging sebum, dirt and bacteria that can cause blemishes (1).  It also tightens and softens the skin, and promotes circulation, giving it a healthy, natural glow (1).


The organic adzuki face polish, comes in a 50 ml tinted glass bottle with an inner plug and a screw on top. White in color speckled with green dried holy basil leaves (not listed in the ingredient list), the product is powdery in consistency, fine in texture, and devoid of any added fragrance.


To use, scoop the required amount of mask with a dry wooden spatula and bring it to a paste like consistency with either raw milk, rose water or any other liquid of choice before applying. Wait until it dries completely before dampening it with water and gently massaging in circular motions before rinsing it off with tepid water. 


I purchased this product solely for the ingredient: adzuki beans. I had read the exalted benefits adzuki beans imparted to skin and was definitely excited to try it. 


My skin is dry and flaky in the winters but come summer it seems to have a mind of its own. Its a combination of oily and dry with visible pores and bouts of acne here and there. Since rice flour works well for oily skin and the beans counteract excessive drying, I decided to use it in hot, humid summer months. 


INITIAL TAKE: The first time I blended it with rose water but found the polish to be too abrasive, so the next time round I used raw milk with no particular success. The mixture still felt abrasive on the skin which one commonly experiences with rice flour but even with all the humidity, my skin felt tight and dry once I rinsed off the mask!!


So I decided to tweak the product by adding about a tablespoon of powdered oats to (1) make it gentler on the skin (2) the lipids and protein content in oats have humectant, occlusive and emollient properties which help withhold moisture in the skin.  Since adding oats, the face polish does a spectacular job at gently cleansing the skin whilst nourishing it.

TAKE 2: As a face polish, the product has been disappointing so I use it as a body polish now mixing it with Ida Naturals, skin glow pack and am quite liking it. It helps lighten the tan and adds a radiance

In my opinion, the product definitely requires some reformulation. Adding some skin loving oils or essential oils to the formula and complete disclosure of ingredients would definitely perk up the product's value.

Purchase The Ritu^l products  HERE & HERE

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