Blogs | Ilana Organics

The Subtle Art Of Skincare: SKINIMALISM

Skinimalism is the latest beauty trend taking the beauty community by storm. People are talking about it all over social media and its amazing benefits.

But what exactly is Skinimalism?

4 Skincare Myths: Busted!

Are you tired of worrying about what skin care advice you hear is actually true and what makes absolutely no sense? Feeling kind of about which skin care tips you should follow? We've got you covered!

No-Commitment Days’ the New Self-Care Ritual!

Self Care Diwali. From indulging in a Netflix binge, to having a ‘me’ night, to the return of board games and playing outdoors, here is our freshest take on self-care this holiday season.

The Ultimate Festive Makeup and Skincare Guide!

Ilana has all the products you need to glow this festive season. Here’s a round-up of everything that should be on your wishlist.

Skincare Actives 101

There’s nothing more crucial than formulating a comprehensive skincare regime that is best suited to your skin type. But what’s more important is going beyond the basic “Cleanse – Tone – Moisturise” three step process to include active ingredients. In this article we’ll help you familiarise yourself with the actives you need, how they’ll help transform your skin, and guide you as to how to incorporate them in your routine with ease.

How do natural oils, help provide protection from UVA and UVB rays?

Herbs have been used in medicines and cosmetics from centuries. Their potential to treat different skin diseases, to adorn and improve the skin appearance is well-known.

Multipurpose Kitchen Ingredients

Our skin is affected by many more factors around us. One of these is our home environment and the cleaning materials we use. Most surface cleaning sprays are full of harsh chemicals that we shouldn’t be inhaling or ingesting regularly. There’s loads on the net about what works and who knows what's true, so it helps to hear if something has been tried and tested when you’re making decisions like this. So from time to time we’ll tell you about the surprising uses of a common household substance.

Parents

For a lot of us being in lockdown means spending extended time with our families, perhaps more than ever before and maybe not since we were children. If you’ve been with your parents in this lockdown it is never a bad time to let them know you care.

Cleaning Up Your Beauty

Everybody is asking for clean beauty these days; skincare and make up that doesn’t come at a huge environmental cost, that is cognizant about what should and shouldn’t go on our skin and that doesn’t test on animals. And as more brands emerge with these principles and give us more choices we are able to find the things we want and that work for us.

Manly Gifts

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to give men presents? Its not that men are recalper se. But there seems to be iron-clad codes on whats appropriate for them. Let's make a pact to get the men in your life a different kind of present next time, something that nurtures self-care rather than expects them to be strong and silent; an all-time moisturizer or a brightening skin serum. Who knows how they react? But they’ll probably love it.

30 Days of Ilana Organics Brightening Skin Serum

A great deal of research and time goes into making sure Ilana products are safe and effective. But once they’re out there it’s always exciting for us to see it at work in real time with a range of skincare needs and wants. Our new series is going to occasionally show up in your feed as we check in with people from the Ilana community who have been asked to try our products for extended periods.

In praise of 21st Century Dads!

It would seem that some relationships are both so ubiquitous as well as so complex, that we need a designated day to talk about them. Granted as Indians, we love kitsch and we dole it out in large quantities by idolizing our mothers and putting them on pedestals. But fathers have been getting a raw deal for good parenting. While this might have been acceptable 30 years ago, it just isn’t today.

Still Trying to Shake That Plastics Addiction

Like it or not, plastic has been doing the heavy lifting for most of our needs over the last hundred years. Its going to be a tough habit to break, not least of all, because its downsides aren’t immediately visible -- its a petroleum product; it doesn’t degrade and it leaches toxins and microplastics into our environment causing a host of health issues for all life.

That Glass Versus Plastics Debate Again

There has long been debates between glass and plastic when it comes to skincare and cosmetics packaging. We need something safe, leak-proof, non-toxic and easy and convenient to use for the product. And while its easy to say that plastic is bad and glass is better for the environment, there are a number of factors we need to consider to help us make choices. 

Skin Deep and Under

If aging isn’t your current obsession, the reality is that all of us have hiccups with our skin at some time or another, and for most these would often just pass with time, if everything about skin wasn't framed as a problem that has to be dealt with like its an emergency. Acne, pimples, dark circles, fine lines, pigmentation patches, the list of ‘problems’ is just endless.

Hot versus pretty? Whats the difference?

Recently somewhere deep down an instagram feed there was this interesting question...Are you mature enough to appreciate someone else’s beauty without questioning your own? It was thought- provoking to say the least. And this question might not seem relevant for men at first, but just replace the word ‘beauty’ with ‘fitness’ and we have something for everyone. 

Rethinking Aspirations

We’ve all seen countless ads on television with sad women with blemished skin being shunned from social events or unable to leave the house because of a zit, or, worst of all,
not being able to participate in the fun because they’re too old.

Mother’s Day

Days that celebrate special relationships tend to be chock full of rituals that primarily benefit greeting card companies and gift shops. That it's annoying is perhaps the lesser evil.  There’s worse; amidst the hype, the tinsel, and cutsie gestures, what loses a great deal of its significance is that special relationship that's being celebrated in the first place. 

Gearing up for the new normal

There might be a light at the end of the endless tunnel.There is a possibility that we will slowly be released from the lockdown, if not in the next week, then at least by mid-month. As we venture back into a semblance of normal life and step out and look around us, what will we see? 

Some ruminations on trees

Sometimes in an urban person’s day, the nicest thing that can happen to one is to pass under some magnificent old trees with vast and shady canopies. Rain trees come to mind as do Gulmohars and who can ignore an avenue of Banyan trees. In our daily commute to work (which is slowly receding from memory in the last month of lockdown) how many of us notice trees, other than when we try to inch into their shade at a traffic light?

Getting your greens

Though these are different times, perhaps its time to think about how we can be more self-sufficient in some of our nutrition needs. And yes, Its the worst time to get to a nursery and it'll take a while to get some plant seeds delivered even though e-commerce sites are likely to commence delivering soon. So here are a couple of ways you can infuse your meals and your family’s intake with some homegrown goodness from whatever is in your kitchen right now.

Connecting

By now, if you’re not slowly descending into madness and reposting surreal quotes on Instagram while unwashed dishes pile up in the sink, then it's likely you have found a semblance of a pace, gotten into the flow of being home and alone or around your lockdown companions all the time, cooking, cleaning and and working. After the initial weeks of speculation about how this ends and when we have become more skilled at living a little more of one day at a time. 

Walking to Health

With all this busy work its an interesting paradox that one of the toughest challenges about staying home is staying fit and active. Gyms are all closed. If you’re used to getting in a game of tennis or a swim every evening that's out too. And if you at least walked 10 minutes to and from your carpool spot each day, well you need to find a replacement. 

Being in good health and fitness is about an attitude to being active, to consciously giving up sedentary modes. Here is one way to begin shifting over. 

Lockdown...this too shall pass. Then what?

It's official...We’re home for the foreseeable future as the world gets together to battle coronavirus. The first time in most of our lives that staying home was a way to save lives. It feels a bit like hiding and that's uncomfortable for a lot of us. We want to do something, take some action to make it feel worthwhile. 

Stay Safe. Stay Grounded.

When you’re stuck at home and you're trying to work and it's surreal because your old college mate in Nairobi and the cousin in New York are both homes, self-isolating, as are you, and you’ve never attended a pandemic before, it's tough to think straight.

There’s enough fear and uncertainty going around that adding to it can’t possibly help.

But it is a good time to take care of yourself. We so seldom give our mental and physical well being the attention it deserves. Self-care can take many forms, and if you’re home with others, this could help them too. 

The bugbear called Skincare

On account of genes and such, I had plenty of resilient skin, dark enough to manage the tropical heat and both humid and dry heat, very unlikely to break out, about two shades too dark for ‘wheatish’ standards in India.

I don’t care about 12 Steps, and psst...! I sometimes sleep with my makeup on.

The night had been late and a quantity of craft beer had been consumed by all. There was some crawling into bed in the wee hours. Which is why there was nothing charming about being woken up at seven on a Sunday, by the sound of a cheery four-year-old chanting, “Naughty mama! Slept with her make-up on again!” 

BEET TINT - a key for glamorous flushed cheeks.

"As a kid, I used to rub a slice of cooked beetroot on my cheeks and lips to get those pink lips and rougey cheeks, because back then we weren't allowed to use makeup."

#EMPTIESTOEARTH

Let's start today, to save tomorrow! 

Join us in celebrating our Mother Earth this ' World Environment Day ' by being a part of our #emptiestoearth campaign to nurture a happier and healthier environment for all of us!

HOW TO GET GLOWING SKIN ?

Healthy skin has an irresistible glow and energy, no matter what a person’s age. We get a lot of questions about glowing skin at Ilana so we approach the subject from every angle. Every little bit counts: Diet, exercise, sleep, skin care, are all ways to increase your skin’s natural exuberance.

WHY NATURAL SUN PROTECTION .. ?

Laboratory studies indicate that some chemical UV filters may mimic hormones, and physicians report sunscreen-related skin allergies, which raises important questions about unintended human health consequences from frequent sunscreen application.

INVEST IN THE RIGHT SKINCARE

As die-hard beauty junkies, we understand the cost of having great skin. And sometimes, that cost is extremely expensive. While there’s no better feeling than buying, unwrapping and applying expensive skincare products, it’s impossible not to ask the question: Is the high price tag really worth it? We are about to make that choice a lot easier for you...

MAXIMISE YOUR TONER - Multipurpose is the new Sustainable

NOW WHAT IS A TONER IN THE FIRST PLACE —— To put it simply, toner looks like water and acts like water. But we swear it's not water. It's packed with so much more than hydrogen and oxygen. Depending on the toner, it also can contain natural acids, glycerin, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories.

5 Easy Habits to Swear by for Flawless Skin

1. Double Cleansing ...

6 Steps To Flawless Skin

If you’re an aspiring beauty aficionado, we’re sure you’re aware of the benefits of following a beauty routine. Gone are the days when our knowledge about skincare only limited us to cleansing, toning, moisturising. With the change in times and weather, our skincare routine is bound to go beyond the normal #CTM.

Hair Masks Vs Conditioners_ What's The Difference And How To Use It

With a slew of new tips on how to give that extra TLC to your hair it’s really difficult to find what works for you and if these tips are actually good or not. Some might suggest oiling while some say frequent hair treatments at the salon pave the way to gorgeous hair -- everyone has a different hair care regime they follow.

#MultiTaskingNinjas : 6 Ways To Use Ilana Serums

Our skin seems to be constantly thirsty for moisture, so when you find a good product that hydrates and lasts it’s almost like you found your match made in heaven. And since we all want soft, supple hydrated skin, it only makes sense to use the same formula on other parts of our body too.