Great skin, with or without make-up starts with a good skincare routine as follows:
1. Cleansing: It is important to cleanse your skin morning at least once a day with a cleanser, preferably at night time; and with a cleansing brush if you have one. Cleansing brushes are ten times better than cleansing with the bare hands. When looking for a cleanser that is suitable for your skin type, refer to our next blog the that discusses skin types and ingredients.
2. Toner: This is a step that often gets overlooked, but quite an important step. Using a toner after cleansing balances the PH of the skin, while removing the excess oils and residues from the cleanser. When purchasing a toner, look for ones that are alcohol free, one ones that have eucalyptus, bergamot or rose water.
3. Exfoliating: The importance of exfoliating cannot be over-emphasized. Lack of exfoliation leaves the skin looking dull and lackluster. Even if you are using the best product/s on the market, it won’t penetrate the epidermis because of the dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. Here’s a good example, a baby’s skin renews every fourteen days. Once we hit our 20’s and 30’s the skin renewal process slows down to every twenty-eight days. At age 40 and up, it slows down to every 45 days. So, it is our job to exfoliate at least once or twice a week to expedite the process. What is best to use for exfoliation you ask? Stay away from scrubs, and anything with rough beads and granules, because it can cause broken capillaries, breakouts, or having the skin over compensate by being too oily or dry. For best results, use enzyme masks, such as pumpkin, or cranberry. Or alpha-hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, hydroquinone, retinol, kojic acid etc.
4. Serums: Investing money in skincare can be daunting, but when it comes to serums, don’t try to be cheap. Purchasing a good serum is the gift that keeps giving. Serums have smaller molecules, and will penetrate the epidermis to do what it is supposed to do. When deciding which serums to purchase, check out our blog on skin types and suitable products.
5. Eye creams: These are usually a hit or miss, meaning, eye creams can cost a lot of money and still not work. But if you get the right one, it helps with wrinkles, fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles under the eyes. When looking for an eye cream, look for ones that have any of the vitamins A, C, E, and K.
6. Moisturizers: If you follow us on social media at Oh Be You Facial Bar and UDODI Skincare, you already know how we feel about moisturizers and SPF (sun protective factor). It is important to wear a moisturizer with at least a SPF of 30 daily. It is also important to use a separate moisturizer at night, be it for hydration, boosting the collagen, firming, dryness, sensitivity etc.
As a licensed esthetician, I would be remiss, if I don’t mention the importance of visiting your skin therapist/esthetician at least once every four to six weeks, to get a deep pore cleansing, which will help to keep your natural skin glow- no makeup necessary!