YOUR SKIN, YOUR HAIR

At Triumph & Disaster we started life as a skincare foundry, making moisturisers and exfoliators to help protect and clean skin. So when we moved our attention to hair we brought with us the learning’s and beliefs we developed in our focus on skin.

 

Our skin is a complex series of cell layers designed to block certain chemicals from getting in and yet still allow the skin to breathe and flex, it is truly an amazing organ. But the skin can only do so much. Cosmetic chemists have been working out ways to trick it and cheat it for generations, meaning many of the products we use today are designed to break through and get down deep so they are more effective. The truth is many are very good at doing this, so now more than ever it pays to know what you are putting on your skin and in your hair.

 

Drugs and Chemicals can be found in hair up to 90 days after exposure to them, proving the hair follicle a great storage vessel for unwanted junk. Its roots sit deep in the Hypodermis, the deep layer of the skin that lies next to our blood vessels. What we put on our hair and scalp has the potential to access our bloodstreams more than any other part of our body.

 

  

Exactly how much of the products we use ends up in our bloodstream is the topic of much debate. But it makes sense that the longer a product stays on your body or in your hair the higher the chance of the chemicals getting through the skins protective barriers.

  

At Triumph & Disaster we say err on the side of caution, stay natural and avoid synthetic chemicals where you can, for both your own health and the health of the environment.

 

By using only natural ingredients that the body is more capable of absorbing and excreting we respect both our own system and natures. We encourage formulations that have been designed not to penetrate the skin. Products designed to stay on the outside and protect skin and hair not absorb into it. Formulations like the ones produced by Triumph & Disaster, natural, balanced, calming formulations that come from the earth and when they wash down the drain go back to it.

  

We wanted our hair care range to reflect the same ethos of our skincare. The best of nature combined with the best green science to create incredible performance products that were both safe to use and safe for the environment. We asked ourselves why styling products should not also be treatment products. We asked why cleaning products should not also be clean and safe.

 
At the base of this ethos is a belief in the benefits of the natural world, in nature. Since the dawn of civilisation, humans have been utilising plants of all kinds for their medicinal or healing qualities. Triumph & Disaster is simply continuing on what our forefathers have always known and practiced, utilising nature to make our lives better. Core to all of this are the plants and ingredients we use. Here are just a few of the key ingredients we love in our products and the reasons why.

  

Kawakawa in Te Reo (New Zealand’s indigenous language) refers to the bitter taste of the leaves, coming from the word ‘kawa’ meaning bitter. Also referred to as NZ Pepper Tree Kawakawa was one of the most important plants in Rongoa (Maori medicine), Maori used it externally for cuts, wounds and bruises and also applied it as a treatment for toothache, nettle stings and eczema due to its natural anti-bacterial and anti- inflammatory properties.

  

Natural New Zealand Beeswax, renewable and wonderful, adds texture and weight so hair appears stronger and thicker, making it easier to mould into a style. Beeswax assists in preventing split ends, adds a natural mild scent, assists hold all the while delivering shine and natural protection from the elements.

  

Argan oil has a number of well known benefits when used on hair. It can act as a moisturiser for the scalp to fight dandruff and dry scalp. It can also promote the growth of healthy, strong hair by adding flexibility and tensile strength to potentially thin, brittle hair. Packed full of Vitamin E and Omega 3, 6 and 9, Argan oil from the kernels of Morocco’s Argan tree (Argania Spinosa) is seen as a wonder ingredient for skin and hair with its healing, antioxidant and moisturising properties. In Fibre Royale it works magic in combination with Beeswax to add weight without volume, shape without rigidity and strength without stripping hydration or harming the hair itself.