I am always amazed at the responses I get when I ask clients, “What is your skincare regime? I have heard every answer under the sun. I have clients who sit there in their $540 heels, in their designer dress and they just use soap on their skin! I also have clients who begin to take me through their evening skincare routine and it sounds like they are reading off a top skincare catalog. I had one client who used over 17 top end products every day for her face and body.
The truth is there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to skincare (the client who used soap on her skin had great skin) but there are a few little tips and tricks that I have learned over the years, mostly from my own skin mistakes.
1. Back when my skin was at its worst (think adult acne) I used to exfoliate everyday.
I thought that oily skin needed lots of exfoliation to remove the oil but it was when a friend who is a beauty therapist told me that all I was doing was causing my skin to create more oil, hence more pimples!
I was in a terrible cycle and once I stopped exfoliating everyday and changed it to weekly my skin greatly improved.
2. Many of us have become fearful of oil. Its a total misconception that oil is the enemy. I cant speak for every skin type but even the most oily skin can benefit from adding oils back into the skin. Similar to when I stopped over exfoliating the skin often relaxes when its not being stripped.
3. Another misconception when it comes to caring for your skin is not to over do it with the products. Back when I worked on a makeup counter in a flashy department store I was always able to try the latest and greatest skincare products. My evening skincare routine became a long process filled with countless products. As nice as the third or fourth product felt going on all I was doing was blocking my skin from breathing. I recommend the rule of less is more for skincare.
4. One thing you never want to do to your skin is let it get too dry. Many clients of mine weren’t using moisturizer or they were using a moisturizer that wasn’t rich enough. If you are past the age of 13 then moisturizing is so important. You can start of with a lighter lotion but overtime you will want to build to more of a richer cream or oil.
Skin simply stops producing enough moisture past a certain age.
5. Last but not least I am going old school for this one. Sunblock and water. These are the two most simple things we can do to our skin but we (myself included) often forget that the simplest tricks are often the best. Nothing is better for your skin then water and lots of it. It plumps your skin from the inside out. Nothing is going to help with aging more then wearing sunblock. The damage that the sun can do to our skin is crazy so try to use a day moisturizer that has an spf and always apply it when you know you are going to be in the sun all day. It sounds boring but your future skin will thank you for it. ♥
