The Benefits of Seaweed For Your Skin

Inside out/Outside in, how to harvest the healing and hydrating powers of Seaweed.

Time on the beach or by the sea is always restorative and mood enhancing. We feel instantly more alive and inspired by the fresh sea breeze, gazing out at the glinting ocean. It is probably of little surprise then that among the naturally occurring plant and sea life, Seaweed has many benefits for both our skin and our health. Found in oceans and marine environments worldwide, seaweed is now recognised as a superfood, full of minerals and antioxidants, plus essential Vitamins A, C, E and B12. This combination of nutrients has a powerful effect on our skin, enabling skin cells to regenerate, promoting a smoother, calmer complexion. Algae is also recognised as a powerful detoxifying agent.

Seaweed can be easily incorporated into your weekly diet, and is becoming more widely available from retail outlets and online and can be included in various recipes, dishes and salads. It can be purchased as a salad ingredient, dried or as capsules, a relish or flakes. Many seaweed products are farmed organically and sustainably harvested. There are many different varieties with wonderfully evocative names, Atlantic wakame, dulce, channel, Irish moss, kelp, knotted sea spaghetti and spiral wrack, and the Japanese staples of kombu and nori. When foraging for your own seaweed it may be best to enlist the help of an experienced forager on a first trip.

Seaweed is also an elixir in topical skincare, providing high levels of amino acids, minerals and glucosides which help to repair and tighten the skin whilst aiding moisture retention. Maintaining moisture is essential, as we all know, to retain the skin’s elasticity whilst looking and feeling plumper, smoother and altogether more youthful. Seaweed is suitable for all skin types, including some of the most fragile skin conditions such as rosacea. Marine polysaccharides capture calcium ions enabling the dead cells to be removed, leaving the skin smoother, more refined, and revitalised. Even oily skins benefit as the hydration content helps to lower and balance oil secretion allowing the skin to become more matte.

Seaweed and marine extracts are incorporated in Carol Joy London Day Care Moisturiser, For Ever Cream and Lifting Mask. We encourage you to indulge your skin with a weekly treat. First, massage either the Day Care Moisturiser or For Ever Cream gently into your skin for two minutes, then for an added boost and skin lift, gently roll your cooled Rose Quartz Roller over the skin, using soft upward movements. Finish by applying an even layer of Lifting Mask and leave on the skin for 10 to 15 minutes. Gently remove the mask and appreciate the beneficial results. Your skin will look and feel lifted, moisturised, clearer, and brighter, enabling you and your skin to be the very best they can be.