Decleor Red Island Exfoliating Ritual

As you know, I’m working with Newcastle Hair and Beauty Clinic to bring you the lowdown on the latest beauty market offerings and whether they’re worth your hard earned cash. The latest treatment I’m trying? The Decleor Red Island Exfoliating Ritual and just the name has me intrigued. So, here comes the science:

“The Red Island Exfoliating Ritual is an exfoliation and massage combined into one exotic body treatment. Inspired by the magical island of Madagascar, powdered Fruit Seeds of Orange and Apricot plus Essential Oils and Spices are used to polish and perfect skin, leaving it in supreme condition. A delightfully relaxing massage with warm aromatherapy oils then allows your therapist to focus on any areas of tension and stress, re-energising and restoring vitality for skin that’s beautifully nourished and exceptionally soft all over.”

Sound interesting? You’re damn right it does! I’m no stranger to an exfoliating treatment, in fact, I’m a huge fan. I know they can be messy and you can be left with those messy grains on your skin long after you’re dried and back in your clothes but the effect on your skin afterwards is so worth it. I exfoliate regularly at home and that’s great, but for me that’s more of a ‘maintenance treatment’.  Salon products are just so much better than off the shelf products bought at a drugstore or supermarket, and more importantly, they’re usually all natural and that’s certainly the case with Decleor.  Famed for their use of high quality essential oil blends and fruit products, each chosen for their respective properties to treat and ensure optimal affinity with the skin. The Red Island Ritual is an exfoliation treatment with a difference – after skin has been buffed, you’re treated to a relaxing massage using Decleor’s decadent balms and an acacia wood massage tool to ease away tension. How’s that for a bonus?

I arrive at Newcastle Beauty Clinic on a gorgeous sunny day looking forward to this treatment and as I’m undressing, it dawns on me that the salon doesn’t have a shower…

My Therapist for the afternoon is Kayleigh, bright and cheerful, Kayleigh is a pro. She’s worked in the beauty industry forever but has only been with Newcastle Hair and Beauty clinic for around four months. She’s a keen practitioner and it’s easy to see that she loves her job. There’s a moment when I’m so fixated on the shower issue that I forget whether she tells me to lie on the bed face up or down and when she re-enters the room , yep, you guessed it, I’m the wrong way up….

Down to business. Kayleigh mixes up some Decleor balm with powdered fruit seeds and the resulting compound smells divine, she massages the scrub mix over my skin in long strokes ensuring that all of the skin is covered.  Once each area is suitably exfoliated, the grains are simply brushed away. that’s my shower equation answered – There’s no need for showers or bowls of water, the seeds separate from the solution leaving the balm to do its work and skin is left smooth and grain free. Also, because the grains themselves are made up of powdered fruit seeds, there’s none of the scratchiness sometimes associated with store bought exfoliators.

Once I’m scrubbed and buffed all over, my canvas is ready for phase 2.  Kayleigh tells me that she’ll be using Decleor’s famous oils and a Decleor bespoke acacia wood massage tool. She goes on to tell me that Madagascar is intrinsic to this treatment; the fruit seeds are sourced there and the tools are handmade by locals.  Decleor plough a percentage of their profits back into the Republic for sustainability and independence.

The lights are dimmed further and Kayleigh begins the massage using the tool systematically down each side of my spine tapping carefully to the side of each vertebrae cluster. She moves my arm to lift my scapula and works to release tension in the shoulder area.  It’s certainly more of a relaxing and unwinding treatment than an invigorating sports massage and would be perfect at the end of a long day.  The tool is used all over, not just on the back and shoulders and it glides over the freshly buffed skin with ease.  Once the hour long treatment is complete, I’m given a glass of water to rehydrate and then I’m on my way.

The verdict? This is much more than a simple exfoliating treatment, the clue is in the name; it’s a ritual and it’s just as exotic as it sounds.  Skin is left glowing and smelling amazing afterwards, and the massage feels like an added bonus, it’s not often you hear the words ‘relaxing’ and ‘exfoliating’ in the same sentence.  The fact that this treatment can be administered without water and isn’t sticky is a huge draw, there’s no picking grains off your skin and clothes hours later and skin feels clean and hydrated.  If you’re prepping for a wedding or a big event, this is a great treatment to have the evening before and is bound to ensure you get a good nights sleep dreaming of the Madagascan coastline….. zzzz

Pixie x