Cleansing 101

With everything our face is exposed to each day; smoke, pollution, dirt, bacteria, germs, we need a good cleansing. A proper cleansing can help prevent breakouts and blackhead and keep the skin clean and healthy. Follw these simple tips to get your skin squeeky clean!

• Start with the right cleanser for your skin type. Oily skin: look for products that contain benxoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Dry skin: look for moisturizing ingredients.

Bar soap(such as Dial soap) is a no-no. Because of its high alkalinity, it can cause irritation and aggravation to the skin. There are some great skin care companies that have formulated their cleansers into a bar soap. That is o.k. to use. Check with a skin care therapist if you need help selecting one that's suitable for your skin.

• Use lukewarm water when washing your face. Hot water is too stripping and can damage the skin and cold water closes the pores making the cleansing process ineffective.
• Cleanse your skin with upward gentle movements. Downward movements can drag down the skin and cause sagging. Work the product in for a good 10-15 seconds. A washcloth is acceptable to use during the cleansing process. However rough abrasive items such as Buf-Pufs and loofahs are too aggressive and damaging to the skin.
• Rinse thoroughly to make sure all cleanser has been removed.
• In some cases a second cleansing is needed. Women that wear excess amounts of makeup may need to wash twice to remove all product.
• Pat dry with a clean towel. Do not rub the skin.

Cleanse your skin twice a day; in the morning and in the evening. Over washing strips the skin's natural barrier and is not healthy. Follow cleansing with a treatment serum and/or moisturizer.

Blackheads

Many people will stop me when they know what I do for a living to show me their various skin conditions. Just because I work with skin doesn't mean I can diagnose every skin ailment out there. Some conditions are a mystery and need to be examined by a dermatologist. But there are many common skin disorder that people are unfamiliar with but are easy to treat and prevent.

Over time, I'll try and explain many of these problems. The first and most common one I see is a blackhead.

Blackheads (open comedones) are a mass of keratinized cells and hardened sebum that plug a hair follicle. When the skin is not properly cleansed and/or there is an excess production of sebum the follicles get trapped with this dirt and debris. I see most blackhead on nose, but they can appear anywear.

To treat a blackhead, they must be removed. That's where a facial is a good idea. During a facial the esthetician performs extractions and properly squeezes the debris out of the hair follicle. Be very careful if you are extracting them yourself. you don't want to scar yourself by squeezing wrong.

To prevent blackheads, use a proper cleanser suitable for your skin and an exfoliator is a needed to slough off the excess sebum and debris that accumulates on the skin.

Eyebrow Color

Because the majority of women color or highlight their hair (I can't even tell you what my natural color is), they're not sure what to do with their eyebrows. Should they color them? Should they lighten them? Here's a good rule of thumb to go by. If your hair is on the lighter side, your brows should be two shades darker than your hair color. If your hair is dark, your brows should be one shade lighter than your hair color.

I would recommend going to an esthetician (such as myself) that does brow tinting. An appropriate color is applied to your brows and processes for approx 5-15 min. Then Ta-Da! New eyebrows that look great with that new haircolor. Brow tinting is great for covering grey hairs too. Usually lasts about 3-4 weeks.

Home Remedies

Another weekend is fast approaching us and unfortunately I'll be spending most of it on the couch. I've been trying so hard to not get my boys colds but it didn't work. I guess that's what happens when your kids wipe themselves all over you, cough in your face and touch your face with their dirty hands.

I woke up feeling like my head was going to explode and my throat is very sore. I dislike cough & cold meds so I'm just doing what I always do. Saline spray for the nose and a teaspoon of honey for the throat. Tonight I'm going to put my head over a pot of hot water with a few drops of eucalyptus. That seems to do the trick.

My girlfriend keeps raving about the netti pot. She swears by it. I suppose I should go out and get one of those.

Home remedies seem to always work better then the meds they have out there. I remember when I was younger, my friend's mom would put slices of raw potato on her kids foreheads if they had a fever. Anyone out there have their own home remedies for relieving symptoms of colds and sinus congestion?

Facial Massage

Who doesn't love a massage? I love getting my muscles rubbed and I love to feel all my stress and tension dissipate. But what about a facial massage? Is the same thing happening? The answer is yes. With all the smiling and frowning that we do all day, our face muscles need a break. Not only does a facial massage relieve stress and tension it also does quite a few other things that are good for our skins health.

• Strengthens and tones the muscle fibers



• Helps deplete excess fluids- reduces puffy or sagging areas



• Increases the secretion of sebum- helps skin maintain its moisture, resulting in a more youthful glow.



• Improves circulation, which is essential for cell growth



• Increases collagen production

There are different types of facial massages that are more appropriate than others for various skin conditions; swedish, acupressure, lymphatic drainage, hot stone, aromatherapy.

So next time you're getting a facial, sit back and relax. Your face with enjoy it.

Nutrition & the Skin Part II

So what should we be eating and what should we be staying away from to improve our skin. Obviously not everyone is going to drastically change their diet the way that I have nor would they want to, but there are some things that you can do that aren't too difficult.

1. Limit your sugar intake. Because I still have a sweet tooth, I substitute refined sugar with honey and agave sugar.
2. Drink green tea. Great antioxidant benefits.
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The brighter, the better.
4. Limit alcohol intake
5. Cut down on processed foods.
6. Eat foods rich in omega-3; salmon, nuts..

Just some very simple steps to not only help you feel better but to look better as well.
I found a great article about how sugar affects your skin. You should check it out.
http://health.discovery.com/centers/healthbeauty/beautybasics/shunsugar.html

Nutrition & the Skin Part I

Nutrition is so vital to having good skin and there's so much to talk about that I'll break it into a few parts. I'll first explain to you my journey with eating healthy. After having stomach issues for a couple years, I found out I had celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and I had lactose intolerance. I had to totally change the way I ate. Not only was I a lover of bread but I had a major sweeth tooth. All that was suddenly taken away and I had to learn to eat differently.
I cut out all bread, refined sugars, and all dairy. I began eating more fruits and vegetables and different grains like quinoa and buckwheat. I stopped drinking coffee and switched completely to green tea.
I have been on this new way of eating for about four months now. Just this past week I have noticed a complete change in my skin. For as long as I can remember, my face would always be red and slightly blotchy. I would always need a foundation to even out my skin tone. Now all of the redness is gone and my skin has a glow to it.
My new way of eating has completely changed my skin. Now I can see why and how it can really effect your body. And now I can teach my clients why proper nutrition is good for the skin and how it may solve some of their skin problems. Its true that we need to heal things from the inside out.