Spring is in full bloom and summer is just around the corner. But is your skin ready for the sunshine season? Perfect your skincare regimen with O’o Hawaii, a line of products carefully crafted to preserve and protect the skin with nothing but natural, effective ingredients.
Created by Holly Harding, AADP, INHC, the O’o Hawaii line boasts ingredient lists that include a wide array of high-performing elements, including oils and extracts from nuts, plants and fruit like coconut, jasmine, baobab, passion fruit, Hawaiian Kukui nut and so much more. Algae, clay, crystals, charcoal and pearl powder are also among the nutrient-rich ingredients.
What sets O’o apart, however, is its distinct lack of fillers, synthetic ingredients, artificial fragrances and colorants and chemicals. Ingredients are never tested on animals, are grown organically in Hawaii when possible, are GMO free and the natural resources from which the ingredients are harvested are always preserved, protected and sustainable.
“Many people don’t realize that ingredients in the cosmetic and personal care industry are very loosely regulated,” explained Harding, who moved to Hawaii in 2003 with a background in corporate marketing and music entertainment. “There are known carcinogens in nearly every major skincare brand.”
Our skin, along with being our largest organ, is our primary line of defense for keeping out harmful toxicities that are all around, so it only makes sense to protect it as much as possible.
“When developing O’o Hawaii, I worked with a world-class chemist,” Harding said. “I gave her a list of the ingredients I wanted to include, along with the ingredients I did not want to include, and then I gave specific instructions about how I wanted the line to perform.”
And perform it does. Birdseed ($78), the brand’s detoxifying face scrub, smells like pineapple and coconut—a tropical vacation in a jar. It’s thick consistency makes for the old saying, “less is more.” A quarter-size amount will manage to cover the whole face. The scrub accomplishes the impossible, exfoliating without irritating. In fact, skin is left feeling soft, refreshed and exceptionally clean. Birdseed foams up ever so slightly to remove every trace of dirt and makeup, so feel free to dry off with a pristine, white towel. Small exfoliating beads dissolve as they are gently rubbed around the skin, but not before increasing circulation, collagen and elasticity, and plumping the skin. Skin is moisturized and polished, and pores, acne, fine lines and wrinkles are reduced.
For those who aren’t a fan of scrubs, Birdbath ($65) is another cleansing option. O’o Hawaii’s antioxidant cleansing balm is scented with mint, cucumber and citrus, all mingling as the product goes to work purifying the skin. Peppermint oil cools the skin while removing dirt, bacteria and other impurities. It is impressively effective at removing makeup as well—one dime-sized amount is enough to swipe across both eyes and mascara, eyeshadow and eyeliner are gone. The balm rinses off with ease and leaves behind skin so soft you’ll feel like your face has been reborn.
To perfect skin before starting your day or to hydrate before turning in for the evening, apply Soar ($75), the line’s age delay moisturizer and finishing polish. Deeply hydrating and smoothing, this cream also reduces fine line, wrinkles and redness, and feeds skin with micro-nutrients to repair it at the cellular level. Floral scents of jasmine and rose envelop you as the product works to soften and plump skin wherever it is applied.
“I had always wanted to create a facial skincare line, as I have always been into taking good care of my skin,” said Harding, who really dove into wellness after spending years spreading herself thin across projects she was working on. “I also felt that creating a line with a ‘beauty from the inside out’ concept was so key, as skincare truly does start with food first, and this new line would be the perfect way to mesh both health and nutrition with external skincare.”
Catching her reflection in a window gave Harding the wake-up call she needed to turn her life around. She reinvented her mindset and nutrition habits, lost 40 pounds and had newfound energy. Harding sold her previous company, Bubble Shack, and took on her new ventures, including O’o Hawaii.
In combination with this unique line of skincare, proper diet will also help restore skin to looking and feeling its very best. Harding recommends consuming more cruciferous vegetables and raw fruit, and cutting out dry foods, like chips, crackers, wheat and processed foods, to ready skin for long days in the sun.
O’o Hawaii is available for purchase at www.oohawaii.com and through Neiman Marcus and QVC.
