Greetings gorgeous readers! Wow, it’s already September. We’re busy trying to enjoy the last few moments of summer, and gearing up for every parent’s favorite time of year—Back to school! We thought this would be a great time to talk about the basics of skincare. You know, the ABC’s, 123’s so to speak. So welcome to part one of our Basics of Skincare lesson!
The world of skincare can be pretty overwhelming, so many products, so many ingredients, so many claims. It’s hard to know what you really need to be doing, and what works. So we’re gonna try to break it down for you elementary style. Really, about 90% of skincare problems fall into one of five categories. Cleanser, Antioxidant, Exfoliator, Moisturizer, or Sunscreen. Some products will be a combination of more than one, but unless you are dealing with a specialized product made to treat a very specific thing, such as hyper-pigmentation or cystic acne, it is probably one of those 5. So let’s break it down. We’ll detail all 5 individually in the next blogs, but here is a basic explanation:
1)Cleansers—Pretty self explanatory. They cleanse dirt, oil, and makeup from the face. (Stay tuned to the next blog to learn about the differences between gentle cleansers, exfoliating cleansers, gel, soap, foaming, not foaming, and when to use each one)
2)Antioxidants—These are like vitamins for your skin. They fight free radical damage and prevent aging. (See our last blog for a detailed description of what an antioxidant is and does, and look for our upcoming blog where we talk about some specific antioxidant products we LOVE!)
3)Exfoliators—These help to remove the dead skin cells on the surface to promote cell turnover, improve tone and texture of the skin, and allow your other products to penetrate deeper. (Stay tuned for our blog about the difference between manual and chemical exfoliators, and the benefits of regular exfoliation)
4)Moisturizers—These products help hydrate the skin to keep it looking fresh and young. (Keep an eye out for this blog, where we will discuss the difference between adding oil and adding water to your skin, as well as some of our favorite products for various skin types)
5)Sunscreens—Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what these do! Sunscreens protect your skin from damaging UVA/UVB rays that cause premature aging and skin cancer. I’m gonna go ahead and throw it out there—this is the most important skincare step of all. If you don’t have a sunscreen, stop reading, get in your car, and go buy one. It’s SO important that we’ve already had 2 blogs that talk about it, and we’re STILL going to have another one!
So those are the 5 basic steps that everyone should have in their regimen, and that comprises about 90% of the skincare market. In the theme of back to school, we’re going to give you a little homework assignment! (Don’t worry, we won’t make it TOO hard) Take a look in your medicine cabinet (or wherever you keep your skincare products) tonight, and see if you have all 5 areas covered. If you come across a product, and you aren’t sure which category it falls into, post it in the comments and we’ll let you know what it is.
Until next time, class!
T&T