Thursday, September 22, 2016

All Good Things...

Goodbye Summer; Hello Autumn

Adjust your skin care routine for fabulous fall skin

As the days grow shorter, the temperatures drop, and the air becomes drier, your skin may lose precious moisture. Autumn is a time of transition, and the best autumn skin care routines will correct any summer damage that has occurred and prepare your skin for winter.  Sun, chlorine, and saltwater may have taken a toll on your skin throughout the summer, so fall is a time to exfoliate and moisturize.

Follow these fall skin care tips to get the skin on your body healthy once again.
  • Switch to a soap-free hydrating cleanser. It’s time to put away the gels and bring out the creamy body wash.
  • Exfoliate with an oil-based scrub. The summer sun and chlorine may have left your skin feeling dry and flaky. Oil-based scrubs are wonderful because they exfoliate and hydrate.
  • Switch from lotion to cream. As the air becomes drier, your skin needs a thicker moisturizer. Creams provide a stronger barrier, which means they both reduce water loss from the outer layer of skin and provide hydration to this layer of skin at the same time.
  • Protect your lips. Start moisturizing now to prevent dry, cracked lips this winter. Use a non-petroleum based lip balm for best results.
  • Invest in hand cream. Hands often become dry and cracked during fall and winter. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. Start moisturizing your hands now to ensure soft, supple hands all winter long.

For fabulous, healthy skin on your face schedule an appointment for:  
The Spiced Cider FacialIt will hydrate, firm and improve your skin's tone and suppleness. With a medley of fall scents such as fresh apples, nutmeg and cinnamon, it is the perfect facial for the autumn months.  Apple contains potent antioxidants and is high Vitamin C as well as malic acid, which is a natural source of exfoliation to help refine wrinkles and other signs of aging; while nutmeg and cinnamon have antioxidant properties to help neutralize free radical damage.  
Not Recommended For Rosacea or Sensitive Skins.  
www.SkinCareChico.Com
 

Friday, July 22, 2016

How to create the perfect skin care routine

I recently signed up to be a source for Help a Reporter Out. It is an online service set up for journalists to obtain advice and quotes for stories they are covering from people who have expertise or experience in particular issues. I receive daily emails with source requests relevant to my industry.
A few days ago one came in that was right up my alley. They wanted to know: "How can a beauty beginner create their perfect skin care routine?More specifically what are must have products in a routine; how to determine what ingredients to use; and most importantly HOW to use skin care products!  Helping people understand how to better care for their skin is not only my business motto, but my passion.   Here was my response.

How many products do you need is a Skin Care Regime?  
I tell my clients that there are only 3 products that are absolutely needed:


1) A Good Cleanser: Meaning it is for your skin type and condition. You must wash for face for 30-60 seconds so that it has time to do it’s stuff!  (Cleansers that foam up for oilier prone skins and milky/creamy cleansers for dryer skin types.)

2) A Treatment Moisturizer for Night: Your body repairs itself at night while you sleep so you might as well use that time wisely by using a moisturizer that helps with the healing process. A moisturizer with active ingredients like peptides, Vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid helps to restore and repair the skin. Ingredients like Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid helps oily and acneic skins. Retinols and glycolics are exfoliants and help in the regeneration and renewal of the skin.   

3) A Sunblock and Moisturizer in 1: I like a tinted one so that I can skip foundation too!

What are “Add-on” products and should you use them?
Add-on products include: serums, eye creams, toners, spot treatments, masks, scrubs.  

Add-on products are all fabulous and give you an added boost or super dose of active ingredients to treat issues that you may have, but are not absolutely needed in a skincare regime.  They are like taking a multivitamin for your skin.

Using too many products with active ingredients, such as retinols or acids (in serums, exfoliants, washes, and moisturizers all together), can burn the skin and results in making the skin become sensitive.  Products are extremely active these days. Gone are the days of “this product doesn’t really do much.”

What order should you apply products?

1) Cleanser
2) Serum (add-on)
3) Eye Cream (add-on)
4) Moisturizer (or moisturizer and sunblock in 1)
5) Sunblock

What about scrubs and treatment masks?

Scrubs and treatment masks can be used once or twice a week.  Treatment masks treat a specific issue; like acne or dry skin.  They are meant to feed the skin and help it heal.  Scrubs are exfoliation which gets rid of dead skin build up.  Remember not to scrub too hard.  You will do more damage than good by breaking capillaries and creating small tears in the skin which can encourage bacteria growth.  Also you cannot scrub acne away!   If you are using retinols or any acids you should steer clear of scrubs as they may over sensitize your skin.  A clean washcloth is enough for added exfoliation when using chemexfoliation regularly.    


How to determine your skin type?

In the simplest of terms it is about oil production.  Two questions can help determine your skin type:
 
1) How soon after you wash your face do you experience oiliness?
2) Where does that oiliness appear on the face?
1-2 hours after and oil is all over the face:  Oily.
1-3 hours only in the “t-zone”: Oily/combination.
4-8hours: Normal/ combination.
8+ hours: Normal/Dry.
Not at all: Dry skin.

What are skin conditions?
There are 3 skin conditions to consider.  You can have one or more or all of these conditions no matter what your skin type is.
1) Dehydrated: Means lack of moisture on the skin (minus water, not oil; you can have oily/dehydrated skin).  Your skin will feel tight. You may also experience a possible burning or itchy sensation.  You could also produce some flakiness and the skin will feel rough and lines will look deeper.
2) Sensitive: When you use regular skin products, your face will get red, itchy, or a rash could form.  Breakouts are not a symptom of sensitive skin.
3) Acne-prone: The presence of ever active blemishes; inflamed or infected sebaceous glands. 

If you would like more help with your skin feel free to Schedule an appointment.




 

Friday, July 1, 2016

One Big, Tall Glass of Water for Your Skin!



Summer can be hard on the skin.  Between swimming, air conditioning, and temperatures in the 100’s, the summer months can deplete our skin of moisture leaving it dry, dehydrated and irritated!   The Cucumber Hydration Toner is one big, tall glass of water for your skin.  This amazing toner plumps and moisturizes the skin while improving the skin’s ability to hold moisture.  It contains moisture binding ingredients to freshen and revitalize the skin; the combination of heavy water, hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA and other humectants provide the skin with the much needed moisture content that is lost daily.  The Cucumber Hydration Toner helps also to cool and soothe aggravated skin as well as provide probiotic support to the skin’s acid mantle to strengthen its immunity. 

The Cucumber Hydration Toner is great for ALL skin types.  Use after cleansing for added moisture.  Spray the skin after make-up application for a moist, dewy appearance.  Keep in refrigerator for cool splash after activities or carry on the airplane to replace lost hydration.  Great for men to help soothe the skin after shaving!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Baking is for Turkeys!

"There’s no such thing as a healthy tan.”-Dr. Walayat Hussain, dermatologist

 The Summer is once again upon us and as a skin care professional I want to remind all of you how important sun protection is.


Here are a few tips to keep you safe this summer:

 
Do NOT Burn
Sunburns significantly increase one's lifetime risk of developing skin cancer, especially for children.


No Tanning 
No Tanning
Avoid Sun Tanning and Tanning Beds. UV radiation from tanning beds and the sun causes skin cancer and wrinkling.


 
Generously Apply Sunscreen
Generously apply about one ounce of sunscreen to cover all exposed skin 15 minutes before going outside. Sunscreen should have a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 and provide broad-spectrum protection from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Reapply every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.


Coverup 
Coverup
Wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses, when possible.


Seek Shade 
Seek Shade
Seek shade when possible, and remember that the sun’s UV rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.



Vitamin D 
Vitamin D
Get Vitamin D safely through a diet that includes vitamin supplements and foods fortified with Vitamin D. Don't seek the sun.