The Skincare Tip I Wish I Learned Earlier + Okana Skincare Review

Thank you to Okana Skincare for the support and sponsorship to create this blog post.

At 32 years of age I'm still learning about skin care and this year over COVID lockdown I became even more invested in this education and I learned ALOT. But one thing was very clear to me when it comes to skin care you need to read the label and do your own research. Don’t buy into marketing or hype, and look past your favorite influencers. Knowledge is power.

It seems simple but are we really doing it? Are we really reading the labels ourselves, or simply taking the words on the back of the box? You read your food packaging labels, so why not your skincare labels?

Covid brought home the importance of supporting local, and as I age I have been moving towards skin care that is more wallet-friendly and effective. But I am also seeking brands that are transparent, open.

One skincare brand that has nailed the ingredients is Okana Skincare. A 100% natural and vegan brand which is Kiwi Made. Okana to me was a brand that hit the market hard and fast, I saw it everywhere and during the lockdown, I did a thing - I checked the ingredients, both on the website and did some own research and for the last two - three months I have been using the product on the daily. I was sent a Radiant Skin Gift Box and mid October purchased it again!

It was easy with Okana Skin Care as their products contain between four to seven all-natural ingredients that are so fresh and natural, they’re edible! Some natural skin care products have dozens of ingredients with, well, odd names it can be a nightmare trying to determine what they do or mean. Every ingredient on Okana Skin Care packaging is natural, simple, and familiar but what is more important is that they work.

Over lockdown, it was the Berry Night Moisturiser that got me looking. I use a website called INCI Decoder. OBSESSED. This website helps you decode ingredient lists with ease and I was shocked by what I found. Some brands cough drunk elephant cough rated poorly and others really shined. With Okana I didn’t really need this website, they do a great job of going in depth with the ingredients. Everything is really open and transparent with Okana which I appreciate so much. I really didn’t have to dig deep on the ingredient list but I was checking a range of brands and check out this rating - SUPERSTAR.

Of course, the superstar ingredient is Glycerin (Plant-Derived) which actually features in a few of Okana’s Products! The Natural apple juice foaming cleanser features it, as well as the Bamboo Bead Face Scrub and my personal fave the Cucumber + Lettuce Toner. I love this toner for pre-gym as a wake-up! The Cucumber cools my face and keeps it calm. This superstar ingredient Glycerin is known to attract and retain moisture in the skin, making your skin soft and supple to the touch, and the products Okana has put it into are perfect making the products non-striping and my skin happy.

This is just one example of a natural ingredient used well. The Mango and Apricot Cleanser nailed it across the board (see here on INCI) but the winning ingredient being Apricot Kernel Oil!

This blog post seems slightly ironic, as both a blogger and a marketer, but even so the message is important. Don't buy into marketing, do your research, and most importantly - read the ingredient list. Know what you are putting on your skin and give a bit of love to brands like Okana.

I know it is admin, but your skin with thank you.

xx Hannah