I actually can’t believe it’s taken me so long to discover Lab Muffin; a science based beauty blog and the first of an occasional series of Recommended Blogs.
Editor, Michelle, is a Synthetic organic chemistry Phd student (although I think she may be qualified by now) and is qualified to answer all of the questions you might ask about ingredients and the effects on the skin. In beauty, we are bombarded on a daily basis with very cleverly worded marketing that is easy to understand as fact, when it is anything but. Michelle’s post (HERE) on thermal cleansers (the ones that heat up) is concise, straightforward and beautifully explained. The upshot of using thermal products to ‘open and close’ pores is this: “Heat makes muscles relax, while cold makes muscles contract (you may know this from treating sore muscles from exercise with wheat bags, or just from soaking in a hot tub!) However, pores don’t have muscle, so heat doesn’t open pores, and cold doesn’t close pores.”
Thermal products can help to clean pores more effectively, and Michelle takes you through the exact science process of how heat is measured – it’s more interesting than it sounds, I promise. So, if you’re interested in ingredients, claims and glamorous geekiness, Lab Muffin hits the spot.
Transparency Disclosure
All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
6 comments
I love her blog!
I love her blog. Straightforward and to-the-point, she simplifies everything for me. I really need this, as I only have/want a rudimentary understanding of why stuff works. It’s a must-read 🙂
Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I’m so starstruck and flattered 🙂 xx
Oh, I love sites like this! It’s a great counteract to all the nonsense and pseudo-science cosmetic companies bamboozle us with.
I have been perusing a site called Skin Actives (http://www.skinactives.com/) which supplies ingredients for DIY skincare and supposedly gives the straight goods on what ingredients can do what. It’s run by scientists and I’d like to think they are more honest about what topical ingredients can and cannot do but I’m also skeptical. I do use a few of their ingredients to make my own version of a Vitamin C/Ferulic acid/Phloretin serum for a fraction of what the skincare company SkinCeuticals would charge.
Just though I’d pass that along to anyone who’s interested.
Oh, I’d love a recipe for a vitamin C serum, if you have one! I was trying to improve my routine and that coincided with a breakout of hormonal acne, which has left me with what appears to be PIH or more likely PIE. And an as-yet undiagnosed condition, unfortunately. I’m still at the research stage with this, but if you have any other links or recommendations I’m all ears 🙂 I’m (slowly) checking out Garden of Wisdom too.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am working on developing my own skincare range at the moment, so I have devoured many of her articles. So informative and I love the science meets skincare element!
PS there is another website / blog that I came across during my online skincare research … http://www.thenakedchemist.com
Similar in terms of science meets beauty, so have a read if you are interested.