Nunei Harrington, The Organic Facialist
by Katherine Butler
It’s not often that you meet someone who can create a complete facial from the produce line at the supermarket. But that’s exactly what happened when I met with Nunei Harrington, an organic beauty expert who is taking Southern California by storm, one papaya scrub at a time. Nunei can now be found at Sola Salons in Sherman Oaks.
And recently, I had the opportunity to pick her mind about the best way to keep your skin care organic, natural, and feeling good.
Nunei offers the full-on organic experience, devised from her years as an expert aesthetician who is also dedicated to keeping things green. Nunei also offers waxing with Nufree, a line of completely soy-based waxes, skin wraps, spiritual healing and more.
In addition to her in-house organic facial, Nunei offers a facial made completely from produce. In fact, she tells a story of buying the fruits for a client and leaving them in the company kitchen – only to find a co-working eating them for lunch. And just for Greenopia readers, she’s sharing the goods on her good, green facials. Who knew it could be this simple?
For an exfoliating scrub: This can be used often as a face and body puree. Take a ripe papaya and mash it into a bowl. Papayas have certain enzymes which speed up the natural exfoliation process. Spread the mash over face and/or body. Rest for 15 to 20 minutes before washing it off.
For an eye refresher: Cucumbers tone up the eye membranes while cooling and soothing inflamed eyes. Use a slice of peeled cucumber instead of an eye pad. Witch Hazel is another valuable eye aid, and it can immediately reduce eye puffiness when applied ice cold to cotton pads, then on your eyes.
For a toner: Rub a lemon over your skin to restore the natural ph level, though be sure to avoid the eyes! Lemon moisturizes and tightens your skin.
And now, a few words about her facial. It is, in a word to be read in a sing-song voice, awe-some! It’s like a relaxing massage plus healing plus maternal nurturing. Nunei’s facials feel more like a full body spa experience than a facial. Plus, your skin comes out feeling intensely moisturized. As a skin-obsessed person, I considered myself well-versed in the moisture routine. Daily gentle cleanser is followed by toner is followed by moisturizer is followed by sun block….right? Still, I came out of this facial thinking I didn’t moisturize enough, because my skin had that soft, smooth feeling it gets after it’s been drinking up something good.
Nunei uses Hannesdottir, a line out of Iceland. This is composed of pure, natural minerals and ingredients that tighten, exfoliate and moisturize. She starts with the kelp and honey cleansers, and then follows with the Sea Masque. This is made up of kelp harvested off the pollution-free coast of Iceland, combined with an antiseptic healing oil and honey. Nunei follows this with a face lift massage, which is product plus massage to tighten and lift.
Finally, Nunei recommends a product called Volcanic Earth. This is great for blocked pores, blackheads and more. It acts like an intense clay – and it also gets rid of cellulite.
The point of the facial is to heal, tighten, moisturize and clean like crazy. Dead skin is lifted away to decrease wrinkles, spots and other baddies that make our faces less than baby fresh. To which we say, sign us up!
reprint from http://www.greenopia.com/USA/explore_interviews/15071/8-20-2009/Nunei-Harrington,-The-Organic-Facialist
