Hawaiian Beauty Water - A Creator's Perspective
Meet our Hawaiian Beauty Water… also known to our customers as the “glow potion”. This product is a great multi-tasker, as it combines exfoliating, toning and hydrating all in one product. Liquid exfoliants are a great way to remove make-up, environmental debris and dead skin at the end of the day, but also great to prep the skin before make-up, helping to create a flawless canvas.
What inspired me to create this product?
As I mentioned above, this product is amazing as a skin prep. In my early days as an esthetician, I had a side gig doing makeup on models for magazine photo-shoots, and fashion shows… As beautiful and photogenic as these women were, they didn’t always show up with a flawless canvas. Sometimes skin was dry, flaky, uneven or red/inflamed in areas. With the typical exfoliants I had access to 10 yrs ago, exfoliating was kind of messy. Usually needing water, or warm towels to remove. The peel pads were the only on the spot exfoliators at the time, and they were way too aggressive to use before a shoot. That's when I decided to create a liquid exfoliant gentle enough to use on cotton rounds on the spot whenever I needed immediate exfoliation. It became a staple in my makeup kit, and a model favorite. A liquid is also much gentler than a scrub which can cause excoriations on the skin.
Formulation secrets?
When I began formulating this product, I knew it needed a few kick butt natural exfoliating agents in a base that is both hydrating and toning. I started with my favorite go-tos… Witch hazel, aloe juice (or sometimes coconut water) and rose water then began adding the exfoliants one by one.. First, salicylic acid to break through the oil barrier… I found liquid willow bark to work best. Then I added a liquid papaya extract for an enzyme exfoliation (gentle but effective for the removal of the surface flakes and dryness). For a little help with evening out the skin, I added a splash of sugarcane (Glycolic/Alpha Hydroxy Acid) and some Hibiscus (mild AHA) for more exfoliation plumping and pore tightening. This turned out to be the perfect marriage of ingredients and is still a favorite of mine till this day.
What color should it be?
Such a good question! We source hibiscus, which really can vary from season to season and farm to farm. Some of our hibiscus is a deep red while others might be more orange/yellow and recently, we've had lighter pink ones. So if your Beauty Water arrives lighter or more orange than you expect....fear not! It is still just as effective. We do also recommend keeping it out of direct sunlight as that does contribute to the fading (but not effectiveness).
How to use HBW?
This product is versatile and can be used a few ways…. The way I find most effective is by saturating it on a cotton/or reusable round and using it as an exfoliating pad by wiping it in circular motions on the face/chest. Another way you may use it is to pump on to hand and directly press on to the face. Lastly, you may use it to enhance any other product.. Some people add a pump into our Pa’akai Cleansing Cream a few nights a week (or when they have lots of make-up to remove) to add more exfoliating properties. I also love adding it to a powdered mask (DIY or another powder mask) to activate. It's an easy product to mix in to anything that may need a little oomph!
For more info, ingredients and product reviews, visit Hawaiian Beauty Water.