By Mary Hayse, Licensed Esthetician, Infuse Skin and Body
A good skin care routine is the most important step to ensuring healthy, beautiful skin. There are so many people and companies giving advice on what is necessary to maintain good skin that it is difficult to separate fact from marketing. The three most important home care products for a basic good skin care routine are: facial cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen–with ingredients specific to your skin type. If you have specific skin care concerns, there are many other very beneficial products that you might want to consider adding to your routine. In this article, I will talk about the basics, and in future articles, I will go over why you should want to add more products into your skin care routine.
Facial Wash
A good facial wash is the first step in your skin care routine. Everyone needs to wash his or her face, both morning and night. The morning cleanse is important to remove oils and debris that the body has eliminated while in repair mode–while sleeping. It also removes the products that you applied in the evening so that the skin can have a fresh start in the morning, and products do not have to fight their way through a buildup. The evening cleanse is so important because it removes products, makeup, sweat, and toxins that you have been subjected to all day. It also preps your skin for any night-time products that are being applied. Without clean skin, oil and debris can become trapped in pores, causing acne, enlarged pores, and skin irritations.
Apply your cleanser to the skin with some water. Massage it into the skin for a minute, and then wash it off with a washcloth. The washcloth will aid in removing debris and give a very gentle exfoliation to the skin. You do not want to use hot or cold water on the skin. Room temperature to mildly warm is the right target. With extreme temperatures, you run the risk of breaking capillaries.
Many people ask if they should use a makeup remover. If you are using a mild cleanser for normal to dry skin, probably not. It should be gentle enough to remove eye makeup. If you are using an acne or oily cleanser, either remove your eye makeup with water or makeup remover. If your cleanser stings your eyes, do not use it to remove eye makeup.
Moisturizer
The second step in a basic skin care routine is moisturizer. Every skin type needs a moisturizer, even oily skin. A moisturizer’s job is to hydrate the skin. If dry skin is not hydrated, the results are obvious, lines and wrinkles are exaggerated, flakiness occurs, and the skin looks drawn and tight. Without adequate hydration, oily skin will actually produce more oil. When the surface of the skin lacks hydration, a signal is sent to produce more oil, creating a vicious oil cycle. The difference between moisturizer for dry skin and oily skin is the amount and type of oil used in the products. You are really looking for water retention in the skin, not oil.
You should be looking for a moisturizer that sinks into the skin. A few minutes after application, your skin should feel moist, but not sticky; once makeup is applied, you should not have a shiny look to your skin. One thing you want to question is a moisturizer that promises to do everything. Concentration of key ingredients will not generally be at a level where correction can occur in a moisturizer.
Sunscreen
The third step in a basic skin care routine is sunscreen. By now, everyone should know the importance of sunscreen, even on a cold cloudy day. UVA rays, which are the rays that cause aging, are just as strong in December as they are in July. They can penetrate through clouds, windows, and eventually your skin. Sunscreen can be incorporated into a daytime moisturizer, makeup, or individually applied. Sunscreen in moisturizer or makeup is generally adequate if you are not out in direct sunlight, but a separate sunscreen should be used when participating in outdoor activities. I recommend one with physical blocks of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Wear sunscreen!
Remember, this is a basic skin care routine. In my next article, I will discuss how toners, serums, scrubs, eye creams, and masks can address specific skin care concerns.
Infuse Skin and Body carries many different products designed to make your skin look its finest! Set up a consultation with Mary Hayse to determine what products and treatments are best for your specific skin type. Call 309-360-9035 to set up an appointment today, or visit www.infuseskinandbody.com.
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