Wake Up Your Skin🌼

CLEANSING TONING MOISTURISING

CLEANSING:

The purpose of cleansing is to remove bacteria, makeup, and the dirt, sweat, and oil that build up on the skin each day. At least once a day, the skin needs to be cleaned with a formula that does not strip the skin of all its natural oils.

Cleanser Options

Familiarity with these options will allow you to make the right choice based on your skin condition and type. Look for ingredients like wheat germ oil, which cleans without stripping, and glycerin, which attracts moisture to the skin’s surface.

Soap- will deeply clean the skin and leave it feeling thoroughly cleansed and refreshed. Look for glycerin or cold cream soaps formulated specifically for the face. Glycerin creates a moisture cushion on the skin and a soft feel. Soap is best for oily skin types. Do not use body or bath soap, especially antibacterial soap. It will strip the skin and leave it feeling tight and dry.

Gel Cleansers- typically foam or lather during use. These cleansers are formulated to dissolve oil buildup and fight blemish-causing bacteria without stripping the skin. They are best for oily or combination skin types that are prone to breakouts.

Cream Cleansers- are lightweight, water-based formulas that clean without leaving residue. These products contain oils and emollients along with cleansing ingredients and are recommended for normal to dry skin types.

Exfoliating Cleansers- sometimes contain alpha hydroxyl acids, such as glycolic or salicylic acid, and can be used several times a week to encourage cell turnover and dead skin removal. These products are gentle enough for all skin types. Some exfoliating cleansers contain beads or grains that loosen dead surface skin cells. These manual exfoliant should be used twice a week in place of the daily cleanser.

TONING:

Alcohol Free Toner

Pick the best toner for you for example, if you have oily skin and a perpetually shiny T-zone, you can reach for a mattifying toner. If your skin is dry and tight, you can opt for a hydrating toner. If your acne-prone skin is acting up, you can try an acne-fighting toner.

The best time to apply a toner is immediately after using a face wash, both morning and night. Because some face washes and cleansers can be harsh and strip the skin, following with a balancing toner can help soothe your skin while removing any lingering cleanser residue, dirt and/or makeup. While it’s not a bad idea to tone your skin twice per day, if you’re short on time you can stick to toning in the evening only after wearing a day’s worth of makeup and exposing your skin to environmental aggressors.

Tip: To apply toner, pat the skin with a cotton ball soaked in the product of choice, best if you can spray toner onto the face and let it sinks in to your skin.

Ingredients to look for in Toners :

Alcohol and water are the major ingredients in many skin fresheners, astringents, and toners. Other ingredients can include witch hazel, glycerin, rose water, vinegar, alum, boric acid, menthol, camphor, and other herbs. The major difference in the products is the amount of alcohol they contain. Alcohol strips the naturally occurring oils skin needs to be healthy, so look for a product without alcohol, especially if you have dry skin.

Tip: Splash of cold water is the best toner and can be used by those with any skin type. It closes the pores and improves the skin’s texture.

MOISTURISING:

Never Skip Moisturizing

We all need the right face moisturizer for healthy and younger looking skin. Skin’s tone and flexibility depends on the presence of water in the underlying tissues water drawn from humidity in the air and moisture added to the skin’s surface. Oil is the skin’s natural protectant, preventing moisture from leaving the skin. Oil in the skin functions as a defensive barrier. It smoothest the texture and helps to maintain skin-cell health. Adding moisture to the skin helps maintain skin firmness, smoothness, softness, and luminosity.

There are two types of facial moisturizers. Oil-in-water emulsions usually contain humectants, such as glycerin, which attract water. Added water from the environment is wonderful for the skin.

The second category of moisturizer is the water-in-oil emulsion. These creams and lotions work by forming a water-trapping barrier on the skin surface. 

Look for the ingredient sodium hyaluronate, which locks in moisture and prevents it from leaving the skin. Humectants are often added to these products as well.

The major difference between moisturizing products is the ratio of water to oil. Even products labeled oil-free sometimes have small amounts of oil in them. You can sometimes find the ratio of water to oil on the label of a moisturizer.

Petroleum-Based Moisturizers are very effective at locking in moisture. They can, however, block pores and feel sticky.

Ingredients Such As vitamin E, collagen proteins, hormones, placental extracts, and amino acids are sometimes added to the moisturizing products.

Chemically Enhanced products contain agents such as urea, glycolic acid, or lactic acid. They are formulated to improve the moisture-retaining ability of the moisturizer and are often recommended for dry skin.

Note: Use a fast-absorbing eye cream the skin around the eyes is more delicate than the rest of the face. For puffiness and wrinkles under the eye, try using a richer formula containing Shea butter or beeswax at night.

HOW TO DETERMINE SKIN TYPE:

Two methods to determine skin type

1. The “Bare Face” Method- After you wash your face, gently pat dry. Don’t use any skincare products and wait 25-30 minutes. Then, observe your skin.

• Shiny around cheeks and t-zone? You likely have oily skin.
• Tight and flaky areas? These are signs of dry skin.
• If you see a mix of both: oily around t-zone and patches of dry spots or tightness, you have combination skin.

2. The Blotting Paper Method- This method is faster but does require you to have some blotting paper on hand. Gently pat the blotting paper around your face: cheeks, forehead, t-zone. Now hold it up to the light and observe.

• Is the blotting paper covered mostly with oil? If it is then oily skin type.
• Little to no oil? Dry.
• If you did pick up some oil but only around some areas like forehead or t-zone, then you’re combination.

Note: Skin type does not equal skin concern. You might be wondering, what about acne prone, sensitive, or wrinkles? Those are all skin concerns, not skin types.

Easy way to differentiate?

Dry skin and oily skin can both get pimples, right? It may be more common for oily skin people to get acne, but they’re not the only ones who suffer from it. Similarly anyone with any skin type can get wrinkles or have sensitive skin.

DRY SKIN:

Increase the hydration in your skin! When you are experiencing flaking and a tight feeling, this means your are not producing enough sebum. Layering different textures of moisturizer can do wonders to hydrate the skin. 

Begin with lightweight facial oil, add Hyaluronic Acid serum and then layer a richer cream over that. Night creams with alpha hydroxyl acids (AHA) help remove the dry, dead skin while moisturizing the new. Use a milky based cleanser when washing your face. Toner is especially important for dry skin too. Avoid alcohol based toners or astringents. These will only strip your skin and dehydrate you even more. Look for products that are hydrating, soothing and moisturizing.

Care:

Make sure to wash your face at night. Clogged pores can result in irritation, inflammation and break outs. For dry skin, it's best to clean your face properly once a day, and before bed is the best time.

Wash your face with a gentle dry skin lotion cleanser that is soap and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) free. These harsh ingredients can lead to further irritation and dryness.

If you're using the right cleanser, your skin should feel soft and not dry. If after washing, your skin feels tight, irritated and dryer, change cleansers.

Only wash your face with warm water, never hot, and limit long showers under hot water. Humidity is your dry skin's friend, and by keeping the shower door closed, you can increase moisture as you shower or bathe.

Always wash your face gently and dry with a soft cotton towel. Never rub as you dry. It's best to moisturize while your skin is still slightly damp. This helps the moisturizer to penetrate the skin.

In the morning, only rinse your face to refresh. No need to wash with cleanser again. Over-cleansing can further dry out skin.

Ingredients to include: glycerin, dimethicone, Shea butter, sodium hyaluronate.

Ingredients to avoid: sulfate, retinol, alcohol, parabens, fragrance.

Tip: Use humidifier at home and avoid dry climates as much as possible.

OILY SKIN:

Your skin seems to have a shiny glow, especially during mid-day. You always have blotting sheets or mattifying power in your makeup bag. You struggle with makeup because it doesn’t stay put. You experience occasional to frequent breakouts, you are probably an Oily Skin Type.

Common Myths about Oily Skin 

Oil needs to be to be “banished” or “dried up”  in fact, the more you try to cover up the oil and shine to dry up your skin, the more sebum (sebum is just another word for oil) your skin will want to produce.

Oily Skin is Acne-Prone Skin, just because you have Oily Skin doesn’t necessarily mean you definitely have acne. Oily Skin is a skin type, whereas acne is a skin concern. People with dry skin and combination skin can also experience acne. The frequency that Oily Skin type people may experience acne and breakouts may be higher, due to higher sebum production.

Oily Skin does not need moisturizer this one definitely needs to be addressed. Oily Skin needs moisturizer just as much as Dry Skin. Find out why?

When genes function like it’s supposed to, they help regulate signals in your body. When it doesn’t, your body may end up sending too little or too much of a particular signal.

Your skin goes into oil over-production mode because it thinks you don’t have enough moisture on your face and is sending a signal for your body to produce more.

What to look for when shopping for products for Oily Skin types.

Key phrases to look for when shopping for your Oily Skin type: Hydrating, lightweight, water, aqua, gel, gel-cream Oil-free, alcohol free, sebum-free, Non-comedogenic (means it will not clog your pores), Salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, kaolin clay.

Stay away from: mineral oil, petrolatum, alcohol.

Note: Mattifying products, when used sparingly, can help control the look of oil and shine

COMBINATION SKIN:

Is actually the most common skin type. When people have this skin type, it means that face T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) has many over productive sebaceous glands that produce too much skin oil. The rest of the face has sebaceous glands that produce less skin oil. Care for this skin type requires regular cleansing, toning, and moisturizing of the oily areas and the use of a milder cleanser and denser moisturizer for the dry areas. Moisturizing products containing AHA will benefit this skin type. 

Look for products labelled non-comedogenic which means they are formulated to prevent clogged pores. Test moisturizers to find one that leaves a matte finish on the skin. This will minimize shine and the appearance of large pores.

Ingredients to look for:

Propolis- Antibacterial prevent acne in oily areas, soothing and moisturizing for dry areas.

Green Tea- Oil control for T- zone, reduces inflammation and redness.

Glycolic acid- Alpha Hydroxy Acid(AHA), gentle in low concentrations. Safer than physical scrub and Betha Hydroxy Acid (BHA's).

Peptides- Are group of amino acids that have unique effects on skin. They tell the skin how to behave and how much collagen to produce. Reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Note: Some peptides also freeze the muscles under the skin for a Botox like effects.

NORMAL SKIN:

If your skin isn’t too oily, isn’t too dry and feels ‘just right’ then it’s pretty likely you have normal skin. 

The great thing about normal skin is you won’t need to focus ensuring it’s hydrated enough (like dry skin) or deal with extra greasiness (like oily skin). You can focus on the good stuff for your skin, like ingredients that help to keep your skin looking amazing, while also doing double-duty to ensure your skin looks great for the future too. Water-based moisturizers containing lightweight oils, such as acetyl alcohol, or silicone-derived ingredients, will help maintain healthy, normal skin.

SENSITIVE SKIN:

Use cosmetics with less than 6 ingredients the more ingredient the bigger the chances of allergic reaction.

• Look for cosmetics with anti-inflammatory ingredients like chamomile.
• Use sunscreen based on zinc oxide as it has anti-inflammatory Properties.

• When choosing makeup prefer to go with mineral makeup powder bass.To prevent the growth of bacteria manufacturers use preservative substance which may cause allergic reaction.

• Don't over exfoliate, avoid hydroxy acid consider gentle mechanical exfoliation.

SkinCare: Sensitive skin requires mild, non perfumed cleansing products. Use an alcohol-free toner formulated for sensitive skin.Also,use cleansers and moisturizers specifically formulated for this type of skin.

Note: Avoid cosmetics which contain fragrances, emulsifiers and preservatives.

SERUM VS MOISTURIZE:

Serum:

Highly concentrated active ingredient that penetrates deep into the skin.

They are water base, formulation is lighter and thinner so it need to come after cleansing, toning and before moisturizer.

Serums benefit your skin by providing Treatment To Skin Concerns          (acne,blemishes,discoloration,wrinkles,antioxidant)

Moisturizer: 

Hydrate the skin and protect from harmful outside elements that cause dryness and irritation.

Moisturizers are conditioning, treat the top layers of skin and are great for preventing skin concerns from rearing.

Water and oil base so their consistency is thicker and creamier than serums, they do not penetrate below the surface level of your skin.

Note: Serums defeat your skin barrier to reach the deeper layers of your skin. Moisturizers replenish and recondition a defeated skin barrier.