My Best Skincare Tips

~So I've been meaning to do more posts on my favorite skincare and share tips that I've learned and all that good stuff but I've just been so dang busy so I apologize! I always get asked what I use on my skin and what I do so now I'm going to tell you all! Sorry if it gets a little sparadic....my thoughts tend to jump around everywhere but I will do my best!!~

1. Always always always wear sunscreen. I don't care if it's winter or if it's cloudy (80% of UV rays come through clouds), wear it. You will prevent premature aging, brown spots, and obviously sun damage!. And no, makeup with SPF doesn't count! You would have to glob it on and reapply every 2 hours if you relied on makeup alone. Use a lightweight moisturizer with SPF of at LEAST 15. My fave SPF moisturizers include Glymed PhotoAge Protection Gel SPF 15 (only available through certain spas and salons--in the future from me!), Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer, and now with my lack of esthetician work I have come down from professional product to Maybeline's BB Cream SPF 30. I was pleasantly surprised with this and it doesn't leave my skin greasy or anything as opposed to Garnier's BB Cream which is SUPER greasy.

2. Wash your face TWICE! You will be surprised at the difference this actually makes. The first cleanse removes dirt, oil and makeup. The second cleanse is what actually cleanses the surface of the skin. Currently I am using Clean and Clear Advantage Face Wash with ( ) Salicylic Acid. I feel like It cleanses really well without drying my skin out. Don't worry too much about face washes--as long as they are free of sulfates, aren't loaded with artificial colors, perfumes, or preservatives your fine.

3. Witch Hazel has become my new best friend. It's a quick cleanser (soak a cotton round with it) when you're too lazy to do the real thing! It's an anti-inflammatory and also has astringent properties that soothe skin, shrink pores, lock in moisture, and maintain skin elasticity. It’s an inexpensive, all-purpose must-have for skin first-aid help. It's great for depuffing under your eyes and it even soothes razor burn!

4. If you're suddenly starting to break out around your jaw, chin, and cheeks. You most likely have a hormonal issue. Sometimes you either need to go on or off birth control to have better control of your hormones.

5. If you have oily or normal skin with acne (generally whiteheads or blackheads) you'll want to use products with salicylic acid as the active ingredient. Salicylic acid is lipophylic or, "oil loving", so it absorbs the oil on your skin. When you look on the product for what percentage of Salicylic there is look for the 2% kind. Anything below that won't be as effective. Not only are you absorbing oil with this acid but in concentrations of 2% it also acts as an exfoliant. A combination of a cleanser and spot treatment with this ingredient is best. If you feel like it's drying your skin out, start only using the cleanser either once a day or every other day.

6. If you have painful cystic acne with dry skin you'll want to use products with benzoyl peroxide. These products help oxygenate your skin to kill the bacteria trapped in these painful bumps. Infact, bacteria is ALWAYS the culprit for bad acne. So if you MUST pick at least have clean hands and wipe your face after with either your face wash or a toner with tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is an awesome fighting ingredient to kill acne-causing bacteria. Off the top of my head I can only think of professional products with this ingredient but I know you could find it at most stores.

7.Exfoliate. This is the most common problem. 9 out of 10 times when I have talked to clients about their skin problems, they aren't exfoliating enough. Sure they might be using great creams and products and what not but if you aren't sloughing off the dead skin cells on the surface, how are any of those products supposed to penetrate into the skin? That's right, they won't. So here's the lowdown on exfoliation. It needs to be done at least 3 times a week. DON'T use apricot scrub (too harsh). Those cool rotating cleansing brushes are awesome and really cleanse and lightly exfoliate the skin. They are also gentle enough to use everyday. Cleansers with the little round beads in them are good as well. SO, if you're using a gentle form of exfoliant like I listed above or if you just use good old face wash you probably still need to do a good ole' exfoliating treatment 2-3 times a week. 
     I'm talking about chemical exfoliants. Not so familiar with people I know, but these babies really do the trick because they work UNDER the skin. My favorites are called AHA's or Alpha Hydroxy Acids. They work their way down into the skin and come back up and out to loosen the dead skin cells on top so that they may be more easily sloughed off with your cleansing processes. Cool huh! AHA's include Lactic Acid and Glycolic acid. Most products will say if they contain AHA's but won't always say their concentration. Look for them to be the second or third ingredient. That way you know they are the correct concentration. (About 4%-5%) People with normal to dry skin should use these products or those whose main problem is anti-aging or sun damage.
     There is another chemical exfoliant called Beta Hydroxy Acid/BHA. This one is called Salicylic Acid. Sound familiar? Salicylic Acid works it's way down into the skin and stays there. It doesn't come back up like AHA's. On it's way down into the pore, it causes the cells of the epidermis (top layer of skin) to become "unglued" allowing the dead skin cells to slough off, making room for regrowth of new skin. This sounds familiar to the AHA characteristic. The difference is that Salicylic Acid is "oil-loving", so it absorbs oil. This is why products containing this BHA are so effective for treating breakouts. Beta hydroxy acid found in skin-care products works best in a concentration of 1% to 2%.

8. Moisturize!!! It doesn't matter if your skin is an oil slick. You have to moisturize. When your skin starts to become dry it overcompensates by excreting more oil, creating a bigger problem! It's all about balance. If you do have oily skin you obviously aren't going to need a heavy moisturizer. Look for words like, "lightweight", "oil-free", and "non-comodegenic." It's hard to say which product is best. You just kind of have to try them to see.
     At the other end, if you have dry or flaky skin, you'll want a heavier moisturizer. Most products say what skin type they are made for. For any skin type look for ingredients like Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Glycerin, and Jojoba oil. Hyaluronic acid holds moisture in the skin. It can hold 100 times it's weight in water. Glycerin also holds in moisture. Jojoba oil mimics the skin's naturally produced sebum (oil). All of these ingredients are essential to have in everyone's moisturizer. Whether your skin is dry, oily, combination, or just normal. It needs moisture! I could go on and on about the different kinds of products out there, but I'll just leave it up to you to ask me the questions! I love to help!!


And hopefully this did help some of you out there! Sorry it has taken me so long to post new things! I've been a slacker lately! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions about a skin problem you might have! Thanks for reading!!

Ditulis oleh Abiyasa F.A pada tanggal Rabu, 08 April 2015

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