Charles David Ranken

a mostly...

I hated not understanding all the nuances and confusing advertising of the many million skincare products and opaque dermatology advertisements. - They overwhelmed me and made me very lost. I found, over a year or two, a relatively cheap (around aud$100 a year) but effective skincare regime. One that is simple & repetitive.

I started by looking for the people whose skin I liked... I landed on Tilda Swinton (I love how she's not necessarily ageless and seems to not be afraid of her age), then I searched for her dermatologist...

Her name is/was Cristina Radu. And she has shared some things over the years...

CLICK HERE for a selection of her tips verbatim.

I came to 2 important points - in order of importance

(though I still had to work through her tips, and interpret them) :

1- Gentle Physical Exfoliation - Jojoba Beads

Exfoliation with these beads refines & cleans pores, reduces wrinkles (in combination with Shea Butter), and creates more luminescent skin.

(I'd still recommend exfoliating if you are acne prone and can't use shea butter) (also: Exfoliation helps the skin to absorb the nutrients from the Shea Whip).

2- Moisturisers from Healthy Fats - Shea Butter (or make a Shea Butter Whip) for the Face.

non acidic, with a very high concentration of Vitamin A (i use it as a retinol alternative), also includes Vitamin E, packed with antioxidants; shea butter can be used as an eye cream, lip balm (plumps lips).

(an alternative is cocoa butter, though it doesn't have Vitamin A)

(a shea butter whip, is shea butter melted and mixed with an oil, like cold pressed sunflower oil, to make it easier to apply) - a Recipe is Below

*I also use QV moisturiser at night

My Favourite Body Moisturiser containing Shea Butter: Drunk Elephant Sili Body Lotion

other moisturisers (for face or body) that contain Shea Butter:

- La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+

- Paula's Choice Ultra-Rich Moisturizer

- L'Occitane Pure Organic Shea Butter

- African Beauty Butter: Intensive Dry Skin Treament

- Shea Moisture - Raw Shea Butter - Deep Moisturising Twist Defining Custard

- Dermalogica Super Rich Repair

3- Extras:

- I use a Gua Sha tool daily as I hold alot of tension in my body and face.

- I also use a Microneedling Dermastamp.

Either this: https://drpen.com.au/products/derma-stamp

Or this one: https://drpen.com.au/products/bio-needle-adjustable-derma-stamp-micro-needling-tool-for-hair-growth

SKINCARE Routine

ANTI-CAPITALIST

EXFOLIATION

Cristina Radu was adamant against the use of macadamia shells or other abrasive exfoliators. There is gommage (a honey and fine sugar scrub) and there are other physical exfoliating products. - However gommage products are expensive, and many other exfoliators come with acids. -

I eventually came to just buying Jojoba beads. They're round wax balls, that become softer as they melt on your skin when you exfoliate with them.

I put some into a small glass or plastic container, a finger length deep or so. I keep it in the shower, as I like to do this there.

The approach:

1- with a finger, draw out a small amount of beads.

2- I then apply them, by very gently moving the beads around in circles starting at the forehead and going down. (include: forehead, under eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, decolletage, back of neck) -

Cristina says to do it gently for 2+ minutes and as much as once a day. - I do it for however long I want to, sometimes just 30 seconds, however my skin looks better with more.

I like to do it one to three times a week, and for a short amount of time (say a minute or two).

3- I then wash it off with a cleanser like QV hydrating cleanser

*If you have very sensitive skin, be extra gentle and do it for 30 seconds to begin with and afterwards apply a soothing QV or cerave moisturiser; or one that you like to use and works for your skin.

*You can exfoliate your whole body (Radu recommends: elbows, knees, hands). Just add more beads and moisturiser to your container.

*You can buy Jojoba beads at Candle Supply Stores

*A cheaper physical exfoliator: caster sugar and a small amount of sunflower or canola oil so it kind of clumps together. - Cristina Radu says to exfoliate with these very very gently, as if you don't feel anything happening. As even though the crystals are very fine, they still have kind of sharp corners unlike jojoba beads which are round wax beads.

*yes, I really wrote all this... lol

I apply the moisturiser in the morning, however if you prefer to apply in the evening before bed that works too.

A small amount goes a long way. The more you put on the more vitamins that will sink in (or so says Radu). Apply as much as you can handle as it can get greasy.

I usually make the Summer Formula below, even in Winter. I have added more Shea Butter in my edit of the Summer Formula as it can melt in the heat where I live.

You can get Shea butter from https://aromaavenue.com.au/about/ at 5/397 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC 3065

You can purchase a smoother pure Shea Butter from L'Occitane

Shea Butter Whip Recipe:

recipe verbatim via: www.humblebeeandme.com

SUMMER FORMULA (my edit in brackets) 40% | 20g (22g) refined shea butter 60% | 30g (28g) sunflower oil (cold pressed)

WINTER FORMULA 35% | 17.5g refined shea butter 65% | 32.5g sunflower oil (cold pressed)

The timing mentioned in these instructions is for a 50g (1.76oz) batch; if you change the batch size significantly, the times required for melting, chilling, whipping, etc. will also change. I’ve provided descriptions of what you’re looking for at each stage, so go by those rather than the mentioned times if you’re making a different batch size. Prepare a water bath by bringing about 3cm/1″ of water to a bare simmer over low to medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Weigh the shea butter and apricot kernel oil into a small bowl that you can heat and whip the butter in later. Place the bowl in your prepared water bath to melt everything through. I’m often asked about the little stainless steel bowls I use for small batches of whipped body butters—they’re Kirkland (Costco) brand. I picked them up at a thrift shop years ago, so I have no idea when Costco sold them. After about 20–30 minutes everything should be completely melted through. Remove the water bath from the heat, remove the measuring cup from the water bath, and dry it off with a dishtowel. Place the bowl in the freezer for 15–20 minutes; the mixture should be a soft solid and the top should be ‘frozen’ over. A gooey centre is ok, but if it’s still liquid in the middle and sloshes about when you tip the bowl, give it a few more minutes in the freezer. Grab your electric beaters [I used a hand held manual whip - arm workout!]; you’ll want the attachments you’d use to cream butter and sugar together if you were making cookies or a cake (the whisk attachment will work if yours is sturdy; mine is pretty squishy). Depending on the size of your bowl you might just need one beater rather than both of them. Whip away for about three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the body butter starts to soften and collapse a bit, pop it back into the freezer for another five minutes. Whip again for another three-ish minutes, until the body butter is light (both in consistency and colour) and makes soft, marshmallowy folds when you stir it. Leave it to fully come to room temperature. If you’re making this for the first time, l recommend leaving it overnight. Once it’s settled at room temperature, give it a poke and make sure you’re still happy with the consistency—that it hasn’t melted into a puddle or anything unpleasant (If you live somewhere quite hot, please read this). If it’s too hard, whip in a bit more liquid oil and wait. If it’s too soft, add more shea butter, re-melt, and re-whip. If you make any changes, make sure you wait to ensure it stays soft at least overnight before packaging it up. When you’re happy with the consistency of your whipped butter, it’s time to package it up! I gently scooped mine into a 2-oz tin from YellowBee (gifted). Be careful not to crush the butter and ruin its whippy gorgeousness—do not pack it into your jar or tin. Use as you’d use any body butter or lotion, remembering that a little goes a long way. Enjoy! SHELF LIFE & STORAGE Because this product does not contain any water, it does not require a broad-spectrum preservative (broad spectrum preservatives ward off microbial growth, and microbes require water to live—no water, no microbes!). Kept reasonably cool and dry, it should last at least a year before any of the oils go rancid. If you notice it starts to smell like old nuts or crayons, that’s a sign that the oils have begun to oxidize; chuck it out and make a fresh batch if that happens. Do not store this body butter anywhere it’ll get hot [it will melt & separate] or cold [it will become too hard].

Using the MOISTURISER: