Snail extract in skincare?

Nowadays whenever I see a snail or hear someone talking about them the first thing that pops into my head is skincare. That may sound weird or disgusting even – but using snail extract in skincare can be really benefitial. So just hear me out, okay?

snail skincare

*adlink

Why is snail extract a good thing in skincare

Snail extract contains lots of good stuff: allantoin, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, collagen and elastin. It’s regenerating, moisturizing and soothing. It helps the skin renewal process so it’s especially good for mature skin or to treat acne-scars.

These benefits were found by accident at first – the farmers that were picking snails for restaurants noticed that the skin on their hands was softer and the cuts were healing quickly. This is a quick way of testing the effectiveness of snail extract yourself too –  I notice the difference on my hands almost instantly.

There are different kinds of products containing the slime: creams, lotions, gels, serums or toners. So there are definitely suitable options for each skin types.

But first, let’s get to the important guestions.. Does it smell like snails? Is it gross?

Absolutely not. These products have their own scent that comes from totally different ingredients than the main ingredient (snail extract). They don’t smell like snails. And the extract isn’t sticky or gross. It almost feels like a silicone, very sleek and soft. I could compare it to aloe vera, but it’s actually more comfortable than that. Aloe vera can be sticky but snail extract just absorbs nicely and leaves your skin feeling incredibly smooth.

 

Shop Snail-containing products at *amazon

Now here are some of the products I’ve been using. I’ve tried two brands: Helixium and Missha. Helixium is certified organic brand from Skinature and Missha is a popular South-Korean brand. All of these products were sent to me.

Helixium is definitely more expensive but as I said – it’s organic. The snail extract is collected manually with a respect for the animal. I really like their product range: the cream and the serum are awesome for normal, dry or mature skin whereas the toner (micellar water) is suitable for mixed or oily skin. Actually all the products are suited for all skin types and they contain silver which is antibacterial.  I think the cream would work as a night cream for oilier skin too – if you’d like to treat those acne scars. Helixium products have a certain luxury feeling to them which I absolutely love!

Missha super aqua cell renew

Missha is another great brand. Their snail line is called Super Aqua Cell Renew and I’ve tried the gel cream, night mask and a hand cream. The importer told me that here too the snail extract is being collected without any harm to the animals. Even though Missha is quite an affordable brand the products are super beautiful and look expensive. The gel cream is awesome for combination or oily skin ’cause it absorbs quickly. It contains 70% snail extract so it’s the real deal. You may want to take that into consideration if you think 36,90€ is too much for a Missha product.  I also love the sleeping mask ’cause it leaves my skin super smooth. I’ve been using it as a regular mask before applying makeup – especially on those special days when you want your skin looking extra smooth. My all time favorite here is still the hand cream. I actually bought another tube as soon as I ran out of the first one. I think this is the best hand cream I’ve tried. I dare to say the secret lies within the snail extract.

snail products

Here are some swatches just for you to get a better idea of the consistency of the products.
1.* Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Hand Cream
Creamy, but still lightweight and absorbs quickly.
2. *Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Cream 
It says cream but it’s definitely a gel which is lightweight but still very nourishing. Absorbs quickly.
3. *Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask
A nice mask that isn’t too heavy and makes the skin very smooth.
4.* Helixium by Skinature Creme confort
Creamy lotion that’s very nourishing.
5. *Helixium by Skinature Serum
This watery serum absorbs to the skin immediately.

Featured image by Kev-shine (flickr link).

 

Have you tried snails (other than on your platter)?

You’re never getting rid of your blackheads – and here’s why you shouldn’t!

beauty makeup blog

You know that eternal combat against blackheads? The never-ending search for a product, that would minimize your pores and make your skin clear and smooth? I have some bad and some good news for you.

They aren’t blackheads! And therefore – you can’t just squeeze them out. In some cases, anyway.

If they aren’t blackheads, most likely they are sebaceous filaments. A natural part of you that belongs to your skin. They are a tiny collection of sebum and dead skin cells around a hair follicle. Some people have perfect skin and they aren’t visible but with some skin types, like oily skin, they are visible and can be mistaken for blackheads.

I have sebaceous filaments. A lot of them. I have some blackheads too – but it’s important to spot the difference.

Blackheads versus sebaceus filaments – what’s the difference?

A blackhead is just that – a clogged pore with a black head. It’s quite easy to spot (because it’s black). It’s consistency is quite solid and when you squeeze it out it comes out in a one piece, most likely.

Sebaceous filaments look almost the same but they have grey, brown or yellowish head. And as I said – they are a natural part of your skin. They are smaller, but they can be bigger too if the pore is enlarged. When you squeeze them out, you can see sebum coming out, but it’s not necessarily as solid as a blackhead. And it doesn’t necessarily come out in one piece. And here’s what’s important: no matter how many times you extract them, they always come back. That’s how you know. Isn’t that kind of a relief?

*adlink

Sebaceus filaments

Sebaceus filaments

Sebaceus Filaments

 Here is my skin in it’s all glory in HD: Sebaceous filaments, enlarged pores, blackheads, closed comedones and an oily but dry skin. All that brown spotting is sebaceous filaments AKA my pores.

Sebaceous filaments are a natural part of your skin

Okay – so you may have a skin where there are brown spots all over your face and you can’t get rid of them. And you just have to live with it. This is most likely the case – so you should prepare for that and embrace your looks anyway..

(And I am with you on this one ’cause I don’t have the perfect skin and will never have that. It’s okay too, pal. We don’t need to be perfect!)

.. but there are some products that you can use to help live with them and to not make them worse, because they can turn into blackheads (Sons of bitches, I know!). And needless to say the most important thing would be to eat healthy and drink lots of water, because that has a huge impact on your skin condition.

Since sebeceous filaments are your pores just developing sebum and hair they are likely to come up. To surface. At least that’s how my skin works – and it can even feel bumpy if I haven’t exfoliated it in a while. So the best product to keep your skin smooth – is to exfoliate.

The best recommended products for treating SF or enlarged pores are BHA and AHA products. They are basically acids and they help to exfoliate your skin without the physical irritation and to keep your pores cleaner. AHAs are water soluble and a bit more gentle to the skin and BHAs oil soluble and especially recommended for oilier skin. There is a lot of info on both of these on the internet but I found this article on this one amazing blog that I suggest you read.

There are AHA/BHA products for daily use and then there’s exfoliants and masks, that you only use once per week. I’ve mostly used products from the last group because it’s the easiest way to bring these acids into your skincare routine without drying out your skin. Usually all the brightening masks or products that promise glow include acids. If you haven’t tried a brightening mask you haven’t lived! They actually work – and the secret is in the gentle exfoliation (=brightening) they give.  I want to note that when you’re using BHA/AHA products your skin gets more sensitive to the sun and a sunscreen is a must have. Every day.

You can also exfoliate your skin with scrubs that work by just physically scrubbing your skin – but always be careful not too use too much force.

Here are some of the products I’ve been using to treat my skin and that I recommend for treating sebaceous filaments.

Great AHA/BHA products for sebaceous filaments

the body shop drops of youth concentrate

DAILY: A SERUM

*The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate
I call this the serum, that actually makes a difference. This is a BHA that I can use daily. I have a full post about this here. But to tell you shortly about this product: it improves my skin texture in a way that I can clearly see and feel. Whenever someone asks for advice regarding skin texture problems, acne scarring or acne – I always recommend this product.

evolve beauty miracle mask

WEEKLY: MASKS

*Evolve beauty Miracle Mask
Super effective gel-like mask that contains fruit acids. It feels like mango chutney on my face and leaves it baby smooth. This is like a professional treatment, in a jar, that you can do at home. In five minutes.

Full post about this and another great Evolve Beauty mask here.

Madara Ultra-Purifying Detox Mud Mask
This is a highly effective mud mask that contains lactic acid. Mud masks are a great way of taking care of the SF. Mud absorbs sebum from the skin leaving it fresh and clean. This is by far the most effective mud mask I’ve tried.

Full post about this and other great Madara masks here.

happy

I hope this post helped some of you. Let me know what are your favorite AHA/BHA products – would love to try something new!

Scroll to top