Beth Mahoney, Author at mamabella

Best hand sanitiser UK: Our fave sanitisers that clean your hands without leaving them dry and scaly

Beth Mahoney — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 14:25:49 +0000

Since the beginning of the pandemic we’ve all become accustomed to spritzing ourselves with hand sanitiser after our weekly shop, grabbing a takeaway coffee, or getting on a bus.

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As a rule, the NHS, Public Health England as well as the World Health Organisation all agree that for a hand sanitiser to be effective, it needs to contain at least 60% alcohol.

We also need to make it clear that you should wash your hands before applying sanitiser wherever possible, to make sure all germs and bacteria are removed.

The major upside is that they protect us from coronavirus. The downside is that they can cause havoc to your skin’s natural balance.

Pre-pandemic there were only a small number of brands that sold hand sanitisers. Now almost every health and beauty company has their own twist on them.

This makes choosing the perfect option a little trickier. There are different scents, different formulas, and different consistencies to choose from, not to mention a range of packaging options.

Then there’s also the question of how well a sanitising product actually offers the best protection.

With this in mind, we’ve picked what we consider to be the best hand sanititsers that clean and protect your hands. With something for all budgets.

We’ve also found a sanitiser without alcohol, yet which still achieves a medical grade, for those of us with sensitive skin or skin conditions. Click here to jump straight to this option.

FURTHER READING: Best hand cream 2021: Protect dry hands from getting red and sore with our top hand creams

Best hand sanitiser UK

Editor’s Pick: The Body Shop Lemon Anti-Bacterial Hand Sanitiser – £6
Budget Buy: INEOS Antibacterial Sanitiser Spray – £2.40
Luxury Buy: Grown Alchemist Hydra-Gel Hand Sanitiser – £10
Serenity Hygiene Antibacterial Foaming Hand Sanitiser – £5.99
L’Occitane Lavender Hand Sanitiser – £6
Neal’s Yard Organic Defence Hand Spray – £6.50
Purdy and Figg Original Citrus Hand Sanitiser Spray – £5.99

1. Editor’s Pick: The Body Shop Lemon Anti-Bacterial Hand Sanitiser

£6 | Buy from The Body Shop

The Body Shop

Why we love it: This anti-bacterial hand sanitiser forms part of the relatively new Lemon range from The Body Shop. It smells super fresh and absorbs easily, without any slimy residue. We have a bottle of this hand sanitiser, as well as the range’s lemony hand wash, sitting on the window sill behind our kitchen sink.

Its larger size and the pump dispenser are great for on-the-go sanitising, such as when we’ve been handling raw meat or when we’ve finished putting the shopping away. There are a number of other skincare staples in The Body Shop Lemon range – a face wash, body wash, hand cream, and more – and they’re great for all genders. Contains alcohol

FURTHER READING: Best hand cream 2021

Buy now from The Body Shop

2. Budget Buy: INEOS Antibacterial Sanitiser Spray

£2.40 | Buy from Amazon

INEOS

Why we love it: While this sanitiser does have a fairly strong scent, it’s a hospital-grade spray that is quick and easy to apply. It dries almost instantly and isn’t overly expensive. In fact, at £2.40 for 100ml, it’s a total bargain.

It’s an extremely cost-effective option as all it takes is one or two sprays to coat each hand. Its pump applicator means it’s simple to apply, and its small bottle makes it ideal for use on the go.

Buy now from Amazon

3. Luxury Buy: Grown Alchemist Hydra-Gel Hand Sanitiser

£10 | Buy from Feelunique

Grown Alchemist

Why we love it: We first discovered Grown Alchemist via the brand’s face exfoliator, which we got in one of last year’s beauty advent calendars. It’s a great, botanically-led brand that produces smart products. This hand sanitiser is no exception. It gets its name from the fact that it’s hydrating while also protecting you from bacteria.

It’s made with 70% Ethyl Alcohol taken from Cane Sugars, with the addition of hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. This kills up to 99.99% of germs, while keeping your hands hydrated and protected from the signs of ageing.

Buy now from Feelunique

4. Serenity Hygiene Antibacterial Foaming Hand Sanitiser

£5.99 | Buy from Serenity Hygiene

Serenity

Why we love it: This alcohol-free sanitiser is designed with skin in mind; its lack of alcohol means it doesn’t dry skin out or cause irritation.

Yet, despite being alcohol-free, this foaming hand sanitiser is a medical-grade product and does meet NHS guidelines. Just one pump is all it takes to generously coat each hand, leaving skin feeling fresh and clean. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free.

Thanks to reduced packaging it’s perfect for popping in your pocket or stowing in a backpack when you’re on the go.

Buy now from Serenity Hygiene

5. L’Occitane Lavender Hand Sanitiser

£6.00 | Buy from L’Occitane

L'Occitane

Why we love it: There are so many things we love about this L’Occitane Lavender Hand Sanitiser. From its light and floral scent to its handy travel-sized bottle and non-sticky formula, it’s almost too beautiful to be a hand sanitiser.

The subtle lavender scent makes the sanitiser wonderfully fresh, despite the high alcohol concentration of the gel. Not only does it smell good, but it also looks good thanks to the chic bottle design, making it a great choice for the house-proud among us.

Buy now from L’Occitane

6. Neal’s Yard Organic Defence Hand Spray

£6.50 | Buy from Amazon

Neal's Yard

Why we love it: This delicately fragranced hand sanitiser is natural and certified organic.

Packed with a purifying blend of natural ingredients, including niaouli, lemongrass, and witch hazel, the formula is designed to leave hands feeling and smelling clean. All with just a single spritz.

With a base of 70% alcohol, the formula is light, weightless, and sticky-residue-free. It’s also vegan-approved.

Buy now from Amazon

7. Purdy and Figg Original Citrus Hand Sanitiser Spray

£5.99 | Buy from Amazon

Purdy & Figg

Why we love it: Boasting an uplifting and refreshing combination of pink grapefruit, orange, and the wonderfully aromatic naiouli flower, this hand sanitiser is light and almost floral.

This energising scent coupled with its sanitising power, and with the fact it leaves your hands feeling moisturised, you can’t go wrong.

Made from natural essential oils combined with over 70% alcohol, and packaged in a reusable glass spray bottle, as a hand sanitiser it’s a dream.

Buy now from Amazon

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Beth Mahoney

Beth Mahoney is a freelance journalist & digital marketing specialist. You can find her making handmade beauty products, baking brownies, and blogging in her spare time

The post Best hand sanitiser UK: Our fave sanitisers that clean your hands without leaving them dry and scaly appeared first on mamabella.

Best cleanser for acne: Which acne cleanser actually gets rid of, or reduces spots?

Beth Mahoney — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 14:14:12 +0000

When it comes to enhancing your skincare routine, the starting point should always be with choosing the best cleanser. For achieving healthy, hydrated, clear skin though, you need to look for the best cleanser for acne, or acne-prone skin. This is because cleansers that are too harsh could actually make the situation worse.

Whether you’ve been coping with acne for years or are new to it, the truth is that getting rid of pimples can be a challenge. Mainly because there are so many different products on the market.

When it comes to choosing a facial cleansing product, it’s important to look for products that have been developed especially with acne-prone skin in mind. We’ve put eight of the best cleansers – including balms, foaming formulas, gels, and solid products – to the test. And there should be something to suit all budgets and skin types.

If you’re after a whole host of products for acne, go to our Acne hub, which includes the best concealer for acne, the science of salicylic acid, which foundation you should choose if you have acne-prone skin, and more.

Best cleanser for acne

Editor’s Pick: Lush Fresh Farmacy – £9
Budget Buy: Carbon Theory Charcoal and Tea Tree Oil Cleansing Bar – £6
Luxury Buy: Upcircle Beauty Cleansing Face Balm – £18.99
Best deep pore cleanser: Sebamed Clear Face Antibacterial Cleansing Foam – £7.99
Best for bumpy skin: Lush Tea Totaller – £8.50
Best cleanser for oily skin: Nip + Fab Teen Skin Fix Pore Blaster Wash – £6.99

1. Editor’s Pick: Lush Fresh Farmacy / Coal Face

£9 | Buy it now from Lush

Lush

Why we love it: For anyone with acne-prone skin that is also sensitive and prone to drying out, Fresh Farmacy facial soap from Lush offers the ideal cleansing solution. Made up of tea tree oil, chamomile, and calamine powder, the cleansing bar is designed to help soothe and calm irritated skin, while fighting inflammation and breakouts. All without leaving the skin feeling dehydrated.

This subtly scented wedge of facial soap dissolves into a calming, milky cleanser when combined with warm water. Due to its clay base, it doesn’t foam, instead it creates a cleansing liquid that coats the skin and gently cleanses. What’s more, Fresh Farmacy is one of Lush’s naked products, making it an environmentally-conscious option.

FURTHER READING: Clean beauty: What are clean beauty products and how can I shop more consciously?

Buy now from Lush

2. Carbon Theory Charcoal and Tea Tree Oil Break-Out Control Facial Cleansing Bar

£6 | Buy from Carbon Theory

Carbon Theory

Why we love it: Made to keep skin balanced and hydrated, this little bar has been dermatologically proven to prevent breakouts.

The organic activated charcoal is able to gently draw bacteria, toxins, and excess oil out of the skin. While the tea tree oil infusion reduces areas of inflammation and acts as a natural antiseptic. The shea butter used to enrich the bar helps to ensure that skin remains nourished and properly hydrated without leaving the pores clogged.

FURTHER READING: A spotlight on…Carbon Theory: The absolute must-have skincare brand if you have spots

Buy now from Lush

3. Luxury Buy: UpCircle Beauty Cleansing Face Balm

£18.99 | Buy now from Upcircle Beauty

Upcircle Beauty

Why we love it: Designed to meet the needs of all skin types, the UpCircle Beauty Cleansing Face Balm gently removes makeup, pollution, and impurities from skin. It’s so gentle that it’s even safe for use on eye makeup.

Made from ground, discarded apricot stones – a by-product from the apricot oil industry – combined with blue tansy, blackcurrant seed, and sea buckthorn oils, the balm offers a deep cleanse for the skin while also soothing and hydrating.

It’s not cheap, but it is ideal for breaking down makeup, dirt, and oils like sebum and sweat that sit on the surface of the skin. This balm deserves its place on our best cleanser for acne list because of the way it looks after blemish-prone skin that’s also prone to sensitivity or inflammation.

FURTHER READING: Best cleansing balm: From Elemis to The Body Shop, here are our fave cleansing balms for taking off the day

Buy now from Upcircle Beauty

4. Sebamed Clear Face Antibacterial Cleansing Foam

£7.99 | Buy now from Sebamed

Sebamed

Why we love it: Designed to gently penetrate through the pores to offer deep pore cleansing, Sebamed Sebamed Clear Face Antibacterial Cleansing Foam works to combat pimples and blackheads quickly and effectively, killing all bacteria within five minutes of use.

After cleansing, the skin is left feeling soft, smooth, and well hydrated. With a pH of 5.5, the foam – which can be used on wet or dry skin – promotes the barrier function of the skin’s acid mantle.

The panthenol within the foam helps to make regeneration of damaged skin faster, while also helping to ensure that skin remains soft and smooth.

FURTHER READING: Blackheads: What causes them and how to get rid of blackheads without damaging your skin

Buy now from Sebamed

5. Lush Tea Totaller

£8.50 | Buy now from Lush

Lush

Why we love it: For a solid alternative to a liquid facial cleanser, Lush Tea Totaller is a fantastic option. Packed full of purifying and antibacterial ingredients, Tea Totaller is ideal for blemish-prone skin.

It’s made from illipe butter; known for its moisturising and restorative properties, castor oil; that helps to remove bacteria from pores thanks to its antibacterial properties, and a range of other ingredients. These include safflower oil, lemongrass, rosemary, thyme, sage, and witch hazel oil, all of which have antibacterial and cleansing properties.

The sunflower wax that the bar is enriched with is able to create a protective layer across the skin. For anyone with skin that is also prone to bumpiness, the tea tree oil is a fantastic ingredient for helping to combat uneven texture.

This is an out of the shower product; melt a small amount of the balm onto your fingers and massage onto dry skin, and then wipe away the remaining residue with a damp face cloth.

FURTHER READING: Skincare ingredient checker: Get to grips with what’s in your skincare with our ingredients guide

Buy now from Lush

6. Nip + Fab Teen Skin Fix Pore Blaster Wash

£6.99 | Buy now from Nip + Fab

Nip+Fab

Why we love it: Enriched with antibacterial extracts designed to help keep skin clear from breakouts and blemishes, Nip + Fab Teen Skin Fix Pore Blaster Night Wash isn’t only suitable for teen skin. It’s ideal for anyone with skin that’s prone to breakouts.

This gel-to-foam formula gently removes impurities, bacteria, and excess oil. It unclogs pores and leaves skin feeling smoother, clearer, and wonderfully fresh.

The wasabi extract acts as a powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial agent, while the salicylic acid prevents blemishes by unclogging pores, and the tea tree oil offers potent purifying properties.

FURTHER READING: The truth about the acids lurking in your skincare – from hyaluronic, to glycolic, lactic and salicylic

Buy now from Lush

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Alopecia areata: What is it, what causes it and is there an alopecia treatment that works?

Beth Mahoney — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 15:25:07 +0000

Hair loss is incredibly common, much more common than many people may realise. As many as half of all men, and up to 40% of women experience thinning hair in their lifetime but if you find patches falling out, you could have alopecia areata.

People of a certain age will remember model Gail Porter made headlines when she appeared on TV with a completely bald head. Having been a pin-up for many men and women throughout the 90s and early 00s, the Scottish presenter lost her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes.

Porter’s condition was officially known as alopecia totalis, because she lost all of her hair on her face and head. Smaller patches of hair loss are known as alopecia areata. Like with vitiligo, the condition can suddenly appear at any point in a person’s life. You don’t need to be born with it to have it.

FURTHER READING: How to manage hair loss and make hair grow faster: Expert tips, advice and what NOT to do

Alopecia areata

What is Alopecia?

Alopecia – also known as Alopecia areata – is a condition that leads to hair loss. Sometimes the loss of hair is so small it’s not noticeable, other times small patches join together causing a larger and more visible patch to form.

Hair loss can not only occur on the scalp but also on the eyebrows, eyelashes, and the rest of the face, in addition to on other areas of the body.

Where Alopecia causes complete hair loss it is called alopecia universalis, a variant of alopecia that can prevent the hair from regrowing. Sometimes, when the hair does regrow, it then falls out again. Gail Porter’s hair, for instance, began to grow back to the point where almost all of her head hair returned. It then fell out again.

The impact of alopecia varies from person to person, with some people developing mild hair loss while others develop ongoing and severe hair loss.

FURTHER READING: There are now Barbies with vitiligo, alopecia and prosthetics proving beauty comes in all forms

What causes it to occur?

Alopecia is an autoimmune condition. An autoimmune condition is caused when the immune system thinks that healthy cells are foreign substances and starts attacking them.

This condition develops when the immune system begins to attack the hair follicles – hair follicles are where hair grows from – which then results in hair loss.

You can read more about the role hair follicles play in hair growth, and why looking after your scalp is the best way to address thinning hair, in our How to manage hair loss and make hair grow faster guide.

Sometimes alopecia develops suddenly, however it usually starts slowly and worsens over time. Alopecia can also come and go; sometimes with years between noticeable ‘flare-ups’.

FURTHER READING: How to get thicker eyebrows

Is there an alopecia treatment?

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Unfortunately, there isn’t an alopecia cure. However, there are various treatments available to help make regrowing hair a little easier and more manageable. They can also help prevent further hair loss.

It’s worth noting that depending on the extent of the hair loss, there is a good chance the hair will grow back. For many people with alopecia complete regrowth can occur within a year. However, flare-ups may occur in the future, resulting in further hair loss.

How to treat alopecia

If you’re looking to treat alopecia, stop it from getting worse, or prevent it, you have a couple of alopecia treatment options.

Use of steroid creams applied to the scalp
Steroid injections at the site of hair loss
Steroid tablets which may result in hair growth
Creams such as Dithranol cream which is usually used to treat psoriasis but can be used to irritate the skin and encourage hair regrowth
Contact sensitisation treatment, which is a process of causing an allergic reaction to a substance and applying weak amounts of this substance to the affected areas to stimulate hair growth
Ultraviolet light treatment, which involves using a cream or tablet that makes the skin sensitive to light and then exposing the bald patches to ultraviolet light
Immunosuppressant tablets that suppress the immune system can be used to treat severe cases of alopecia

FURTHER READING: Thinning eyebrows: What causes eyebrow hair loss?

How to make living with alopecia easier

While there are no definitive treatments for alopecia, there are other non-medical steps that you can take to manage the condition.

Some people with alopecia choose to wear a wig while they wait for their hair to grow back. Wigs can either be purchased privately or funded by the NHS as a medical prescription.

For many people living with alopecia, joining a support group – either a virtual group or an in-person group – can make adjusting to living with alopecia easier.

Some people choose to use hair extensions to manage hair loss by helping to camouflage the issue. For eyelash and eyebrow alopecia, using fake eyelashes and eyebrow pencils, gels and tattooing can help to manage the problem.

FURTHER READING: Best hair oil: The best hair oils for thinning hair, boosting hair growth, frizz and more

**︎ Don’t miss out! Sign up for the mamabella newsletter today ︎**

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Beth Mahoney

Beth Mahoney is a freelance journalist & digital marketing specialist. You can find her making handmade beauty products, baking brownies, and blogging in her spare time

The post Alopecia areata: What is it, what causes it and is there an alopecia treatment that works? appeared first on mamabella.