If we want beautiful skin that glows, it's important to use the right skin care products and ingredients to achieve the desired result. When you're matched with great products that contain proven ingredients, your skin will look amazing!
Are there enough active ingredients in your skin care products?
Optimum levels of active ingredients are the closest thing we have to the holy grail of skin care. While inexpensive drug store brands tend to be light on the beneficial ingredients and heavy on the fillers, there are also plenty of expensive products that contain little if any active ingredients. Get to know your labels, and spend a moment investigating what is actually in your products.
On our labels we want to see ingredients such as peptides (Matrixyl 3000, GHK-Cu Copper Peptides, Syn-Ake) anti-oxidants ( Co-Enzyme Q-10, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Green Tea, Tocopherols ) and plenty of skin soothers ( Aloe Extract, Arnica, Tiger Grass) just to name a few. Some active ingredients can be beneficial even in smaller amounts. Generally though, if your product has a very long ingredient list and the actives are listed at the end, they may be in amounts too small to make a difference.
Remember, there are benefits associated with both natural organic AND synthetic or lab produced ingredients. The key is making sure they are the RIGHT ones for your skin, your skin care goals, and don't compromise your health.Many skin sensitivities arise from using the wrong beauty products.
Many skin sensitivities arise from using the wrong products (or using your products wrong)
Just say no to inflammation. Perfumes, essential oils and many additives such as citonellol / linalool and even gold are common causes of irritation and inflammation for sensitized skin types. Simply handling a product containing essential oils and then touching ones face, may induce inflammation for some individuals.
Harsh exfoliants such as those products containing crushed walnut shells or other types of "gritty" material can lead to micro-scratches on the skin surface. This can create a great environment for bacteria to thrive.
Using too many products containing acids or retinols may compromise the skins protective barrier function. A compromised barrier function will leave skin open to bacterial attack and sensitivity, resulting in inflammation, rash, little red bumps or even acne.
Read the labels, don't exclusively trust the marketing.
Some brand stories will over hype the benefits of a product without really having to support what it is that actually makes the product so amazing. We always recommend reading the label, and ensuring you actually understand what you are putting on your skin. Placebos have their place in science, but not in our skincare. We want proven, active and results driven formulations.
Marketing such as "non toxic", "organic" or "natural" are fairly meaningless and are misused or designed to scare us. I want to know what sort of beneficial ingredients are in the product.
Keep your skin care simple
If you have the right mix of ingredients in your key products, then there is no need for multiple day, night, eye, etc. It's common for companies to break apart their active ingredients and spread them across many different products. This just means they want you to buy more so they can earn more. It isn't necessary and for most people the right cleanser, serum and moisturizer will do a great job.
We know that some people LOVE their skin care products! But the fact is, with new clients this is where we see the most mistakes. Too many products with lots of overlap (multiple acids, over exfoliating, etc) and the end result is often unhappy skin.
Who can benefit from our skin care products?
- Sensitized and dehydrated skin types
- Clients looking for high levels of active ingredients
- Those looking for preventative skin care (anti-aging)
- People looking to simplify the skin care routine
Have a question about your skin care? Send us your questions, or call us at 250.590.5459 for a complimentary consultation.