Basics of Great Skin

Absolute Must Steps for your best skin...

May 12, 2020

Skin care is truly best taken care of when you follow a daily routine, no matter how simple or complex that routine may be. At Massage Wellness & Beyond, we like to take the approach of less is more by starting out with simple basics that pack the appropriate punch for your personal skin's needs. Once the basics are being used routinely, we then look to see if they are doing everything your skin needs to be it's glowing best. If not, that's when we look to add in what's needed, such as, a serum or custom-made step.

So, first things first, let's talk factors other than skin care products. Lifestyle choices are crucial to having great skin. It use to be believed that our inherited genes where what they were and we were stuck with them but it has since been scientifically proven that our lifestyle choices can influence even our genes. Sleep. exercise, nutrition and stress are key factors in having our genes perform at their best and are directly linked to healthy, glowing skin. When you come to us for any of our facials, we do a thorough consultation so we can look at you on the whole, in all areas infuencing your health and skin before we treat. More on specifics of nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle to directly nebeift your skin in a future post ...

Next is knowing what your personal skin type is... normal, sensitive, oily, or dry? Does your skin have areas with different needs? Any allergies or sensitivities? Family issues or auto-immune issues with your skin? To determine exactly what your needs are, we recommend that you have an initial facial but if you can't do that, you can schedule an in person or online consultation. Did you know that we offer online virtual skin consultations to people anywhere in the U.S. via Skype, Facebook, Zoom, phone or email. These are great for those far awar or who simply can't get in to see us dues to schedules etc. Especially great right now during the Coronavirus crisis. You can Schedule a time by emailing us directly.

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Once you know what you need and have your skin care products, here is a routine that works best for most people. Of course variations to this would be dependent on any extra special needs your skin may have.

Step 1 CLEANSING

If you wear makeup, we recommend 1 of 3 initial steps before cleansing or double cleasing to remove your surface makeup and a 2nd time to achieve truly cleansed skin.

a. REMOVING MAKEUP:

1. You can use our miracle Make up Eraser Cloth. This is so gentle, literally removes ALL your makeup and mascara in a swipe with only water, won't irritate even the most sensitive skin, is reusable, dries super-quick, comes in several colors and we just LOVE ours!

2. Oil cleansing. Simple coconut oil will take off all your makeup quickly and gently, as will many of the retail facial oils on the market.

3. All natural, baby wipes. Yes baby wipes! No need to spend more for fail wipes which often are treated with more ingredients than your skin needs. We like Nature's Promise brand of natural baby wipes. They are biodegradable, great for the gym or the great outdoors.

b. CLEANSING:

There are typically three ingredients that should be found in your cleanser, oil, water, and a surfactant. The oil and surfactant in the cleanser pulls dirt from your pores. The water then flushes the pores and washes away the oil and surfactant. This will ensure that your skin is clean and clear of dirt and overbearing oils. Of course, there are other versions of cleansers as well.

To make sure you have the formulas, we recommend a skin consultation, which can be done in person by appointment, online, by phone or email to best determine your skin's needs.

Step 2 EXFOLIATION

The second step in any good skin care regimen is to exfoliate the skin. Depending on your skin's, needs, hydration levels, age etc., this can be a step that is done daily, or a few times a week. Even the most sensitives types of skin benefit from exfoliation. It simply needs to be gentler and appropriate.

Your skin does automatically follow its own natural schedule. It removes the dead skin cells and replaces them with healthy, new cells but this slows down as each year passes. That's why we need to assist our skin in the exfoliation process. When you exfoliate, you are helping the skin complete this process faster helping the skin maintain it's healthy glow and allowing your skin care products to penetrate deeper, doing a better job.

For the best results, you should exfoliate right after you cleanse, make sure you understand how much you should exfoliate. This can be determined in a consultation with one of our qualified professionals.

Step 3 TONE

In our experience Toner is the most often skipped step in a skin care routine, likely because most people don't really understand the importance. Since water has a completely different ph than an upper layer of your skin called the acid-mantle likes to be, the biggest job of a toner is to restore this ph. When your ph is correct, your skin is able to function better and utilize any products you apply more efficiently. The toners of yester-year were loaded with alcohol and often quite drying and irritating to the skin. That's not the case today. Our most popular toner is our Mindful Minerals Get Clear Toner and it is gentle enough for most skin types, restores the ph balance, keeps the skin clear and helps maintain evenly pigmented skin all while nourishing your skin with minerals.

Step 4 MOISTURIZE

The third step in any good personal skin care routine is to moisturize. This is one of the most important steps in taking care of your skin. Even if you have oily skin, your skin will need a moisturizer to remain healthy. A moisturizer helps to seal healthy moisture in your skin. Your skin will also be able to attract moisture as it needs it. You should read the directions on your moisturizer to ensure you use the right amount. If you apply too much moisturizer, you can cause your pores to clog, which will damage your skin, and create acne. Moisturizer should always be applied when the skin is still damp after cleansing.

Step 5 SUNSCREEN, BBCC cream or Treatment Foundation

The final step in a good skin care routine is to apply sunscreen and for some, an appropriate product to even skin imperfections, further nourish and protect skin. Sunscreen can be applied separately and we especially recommend doing this when you are going to be outside in direct sun or within a product such as a BBCC cream or skin care oriented foundation such as our custom formulated and color matched treatment foundations.

How much SPF? We recommend an spf of 30-50 on a daily basis, everyday, 365 days a year. Why not an higher SPF? Because the higher the number, the more likely that the potentially questionable, even cancer causing chemical ingredeients are likely to be. Reapplication is really the key when you will be outside for any length of time. Sadly many of the ingredients added to the higher SPF sunscreens (even for babies!) have also been shown to be carcinogenic themselves.

*Remember, the above steps are a basic skin care routine. For those with rosacea, acne or concerned with the signs of aging, ther are additional products or steps that you profession any recommend but we like to work from a "less is more" philosophy first.

Note: During the Coronavirus Crisis, we are best reached by email or phone message. We can still help you with your skin's needs via phone or internet.

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*As with all of our education, information and inspiration, we recommend that you research any suggestions you choose to implement. You do so strickly by your choice. When in doubt, consult a physician or appropriate professional. Your health and well-being are in your hands. Thank you for letting us be a part of your journey.