To exfoliate or not? How do you know when and how to exfoliate? At the salon or at home? There are so many on the market, how do you choose? What is exfoliation and why do we need it? Skin cells start off as beautiful plump little babies, deep down, and then as the new cells form under them they are slowly pushed up towards the surface. As they go, they get flatter and dryer (which usually takes 28 to 35 days) until they reach the surface, where they become very dry and flaky. Left to their own devices, they float off and become house dust. This is why we exfoliate - so that we can remove these dry cells comfortably! Think of it as skin housekeeping. Exfoliation exposes the younger and plumper cells, and makes it easier for our serums and moisturisers to penetrate deeply, keeping the skin wonderfully moist and healthy. The two most common types of exfoliation are manual and chemical. Manual exfoliation (like when using a grainy cream) not only removes the dead cells, but also gives a mini massage to the skin, which helps the skin to produce its own oils (sebum stimulation). Chemical exfoliation - such as exfoliating masks or creams, soften the dead cells and remove them gently when the mask or cream is removed. This then skips the mini massage part, and therefore skips the stimulation of the sebaceous glands Although every skin is unique,we generally try to classify skins into different types. Dry, oily and combination are the three main groups. The dryer the skin, the more frequently you need to exfoliate (and the more your skin will enjoy the mini massage). Typically a dry complexion will need exfoliation once a week, where an oily complexion will only need exfoliation once a month. That said though, an oily complexion could benefit from more frequent exfoliation, but a chemical exfoliation instead of a manual one. Oily complexion doesn’t need the additional sebum stimulation from the mini massage. Combination skins may need exactly that – a combination of treatments. An exfoliating chemical mask on the T panel, and a manual exfoliate on the rest. So, that’s the skin type – now you need to take your age into consideration. Younger skins usually require less frequent exfoliation as the cells are renewed within the 28 day cycle. Older skins take up to 35 days, so they need a bit more help to keep the plumper cells available. Another factor that influences how often to exfoliate is the climate – you don’t live in a vacuum, so the climate also plays a role in how to manage your skin. Hot and sweaty needs are very different to cold and dry. So whether you exfoliate at home or at the salon, your skin needs your help to keep it looking fresh and healthy. Always be gentle with your skin, it’s the only one you have!
Toning Lotion - but why? So you are standing at the counter and the sales lady is telling you to get a cleanser (milk or cream or bar) and a toning lotion. Mentally you sigh, thinking you are about to buy something you don’t really need or want. She mentions something about the toning lotion regulating the pH of the skin in preparation for your moisturiser. She's right, but this isn't the complete story. Your skin naturally produces oils, and during the day the pollution in the atmosphere sticks to the oils (and don't forget how many times you have touched your face during that time, with your hands or cell phone. Then there is your make up, and... you get the drift). At the end of the day, all this grime needs to be thoroughly removed before you start to feed your skin with your moisturiser. So, you cleanse, and rinse and feel good to go - right? Wrong... There's a thin layer of the dirt and cleanser (remember that cleansers use oils too) that just can't be removed with plain old H2O, and that's where the toning lotion comes in. Yes, it also balances the pH, but really, it's main job is to gently dissolve the last traces of cleanser. That's why it's advisable to use the cleanser and toning lotion from the same range - then you are getting the most efficient solvent for the cleansing oils. Skip the toning lotion and you risk putting the dirt back into your pores when you apply your moisturiser. Why do we need a balanced pH? Well the skin needs to remain neutral, not too acidic and not too alkaline; either of which will dry and damage the skin, and can cause all sorts of problems. Ideally you want to keep the skin’s pH at around 5.5 (on the slightly acidic side of neutral) so that harmful bacteria are less comfortable multiplying, and helpful bacteria (yes – we have those too) are not eliminated. So, the next time you go out to buy your cleanser and moisturiser, don’t forget to add that crucial toning lotion to your shopping basket. Your skin will thank you for it!
Why Serums? What is a serum? Why are they so expensive, and why is it important that I use one? Well, try thinking of a serum as liquid gold, with every intense little molecule of it being ever so precious. The process of creating a serum begins with the chemists who design your skincare. They take various therapeutic ingredients (this is something that can produce a change within the skin, as opposed to a cosmetic that sits on the surface of the skin like eye shadow or foundation), they analyse and identify each ingredient independently and then they combine these in various strengths with other therapeutic ingredients. They usually start with an intention or aim (like reducing the appearance of wrinkles, or deep moisturising) and combine therapeutics with known benefits towards that aim. When they have reached the optimal level of efficacy, and they are achieving the therapeutic results that they were after, they bottle it. Of course, there are a heap of individual processes within this (extracting, distilling, combining in different balances, testing, regulations, - the list is long!), but these combined therapeutic ingredients are the heart of your liquid gold serum. In the biz, they are known as the “Actives”. So, that may help you to understand "why" the expense part. And remember - that is before the end product is packaged and marketed and shipped to its final destinations to be sold! But, serums aren't the only products in a skincare range that claim to work for similar aims (like reducing the appearance of wrinkles or deep moisturising). So how do you know when to use a serum rather than a cream or fluid? The answer is that it's mostly about the texture, and the application of the actives, for different skin types. An oily complexion would feel uncomfortable with a layer of thick cream, whereas a dry complexion may feel deprived with just a light fluid. So the actives are combined with various bulking, binding and preserving agents to produce different textures. In this case the percentage of the actives is much lower than in the serum form, however, it is much easier for the end consumer to apply. This makes your morning and evening routines easy, and you get the benefits of the actives, combined with the benefits of the other agents. The creams are generally richer in texture and will help to prevent moisture loss by forming a fine layer on the surface of your skin, whereas the fluid is lighter in texture and will be absorbed more easily and help to transport the actives into your skin. Yes, there is a lot of speak about how bad preservatives are, but just think for a second how close to impossible it would be to get these products to you, and give you time to use them if they only lasted as long as a vase of cut flowers! The preservatives help to prevent bacterial activity and slow down the natural deterioration of the raw ingredients. Many of these preservatives are from organic origin and are not harmful, so be careful of lumping good and bad into the same press rap. So, when would you use a serum, how often, and how do you apply it? When you apply a serum to your skin, the intensity of these Actives means that you need only apply a teeny tiny amount to get huge therapeutic value. Use it sparingly! It is intense! This is why often you will have a serum that is only applied in a salon environment. It requires a level of skill and knowledge to use it correctly and get the maximum benefit. There is not much point in squandering your precious liquid gold by using too much and then having to tissue it off! At home though, you would apply the serum after cleansing thoroughly and balancing the pH of your skin (toner does this) and before your cream or fluid (preferably the one that has the same aim). This would then give your skin a mega dose of the actives and their therapeutic benefits. Normally your serum packaging would tell you the recommended frequency of use, but if not then you should ask your cosmetologist for advice. Generally though, serums form part of your night time routine so that your skin has a gentle controlled and relaxed environment to absorb and let the magic happen. This is not true for all serums, as some may only be needed once or twice a week. In the end though, the benefits of serums are great. They are the therapeutic actives in a concentrated form – liquid gold. Well worth it. Be sure that you select the correct one for the problem that you are trying to resolve – like reducing the appearance of wrinkles or deep moisturising, and always get advice from your trusted salon!
