Basic skincare begins with a simple splash of water over your face.
However with the addition of a few basic products your skin care routine can keep your skin healthy and balanced. Start with a simple morning and evening routine.
Apply a small quantity (about ½ - 1 teaspoon) of cleansing milk to your hands - massage to apply over your face and gently continue to massage for 30 seconds.
Then rinse the cleansing milk off your face with either a wet flannel or in your shower with your hands. Cleanser will gently lift makeup or dirt and grime, dead skin cells and soften dried clogged pores.
If you do have dry skin, the addition of a vegetable oil to your cleansing milk creates a much richer cleanser that softens clogged pores and helps with dry skin. Use a favourite vegetable cooking oil such as canola or sunflower oil as these are cheap and readily available.
However you will need to remove this oily cleanser with tissues - rubbing your skin gently will lift and remove the grime and clogs. Oil will not rinse off easily, so a second cleanse with your cleansing milk may be necessary to remove the oily cleanser. Ask your beauty therapist to demonstrate this technique.
Toner is an acidic solution and is applied by putting the solution on to cotton wool.
Gently swipe the dampened cotton wool over your face from forehead to neck.
Toner corrects the pH of your skin resetting it to the correct Acid level that helps to control bacterial growth and balance the skins Acid Mantle. An easy toner you can make is Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 4 dilution.
Moisturiser is a mixture of oil and water that copies the Skin's Natural Sebum produced by your Sebaceous Gland.When your skin is at its healthiest it will have a fine layer of oil over its surface trapping important water inside and around your skin cells.
Without this oil and water balance on top of and within your skin, your skin can not be smooth, flexible or resistant to damage.There are many moisturisers, face, eye, neck, body and many different formulations such as thin lotions to thick heavy rich creams. Which cream is best depends on the CURRENT condition of your skin.
Various vegetable oils with better skin care qualities contain higher levels of Vitamins A and E and Essential Fatty Acids such as Rosehip, Argan, or Almond Oils are used either in addition to or instead of moisturisers.
This is your most important skincare product you should own and USE everyday all year, summer and winter. You must protect your skin from harmful Ultra Violet RADIATION (yes RADIATION) UVA & UVB. Every time you expose your skin to UV you are receiving a tiny dose of radiation to your skin cells. Your skin cells react by trying to protect your underlying skin tissues by changing colour (tanning) to limit the damage caused by excessive sun exposure.
Therefore get into the habit of using sun block everyday to limit UV damage.
If you can find a combined sun block and moisturiser it becomes easier to form the habit.
Face Serums are usually water based lightweight fluids that easily penetrate deeply into the skin to deliver active ingredients within the serum. Face serums do not contain the heavy thickening ingredients of normal moisturisers and by containing a high concentration of active ingredients they are able to offer faster absorption and deeper penetration.
However serums cannot be used alone and require a moisturiser to be applied over them to protect the freshly infused skin from water loss and damage to the active ingredients from environmental attack. Daily use of serums greatly enhances most skincare routines.
Masks are usually a substance that sits on the skin for a period of time but then is rinsed off after the desired treatment time. Masks are used as part of a skin care routine to deliver beneficial treatment for numerous skin conditions. A mask can help hydrate, deep clean and remove excess oils, absorb impurities and improve pores. They could infuse ingredients or simply to calm an inflamed skin. They are usually used once or twice a week.
A Facial or skin scrub is a rough substance that is rubbed or massaged over your skin to exfoliate or “rub off” the top surface of the skin. When used gently, the top layers of skin are carefully “sloughed” or “sanded off” or scrubbed off the surface. The old dry rough dead skin layer is smothering the underneath layers and normally comes off daily as dust or when the skin is washed. When we give our skin a scrub we are removing the skin faster than normal so care is important to NOT OVER DO IT. The benefit of scrubbing is that the fresh new healthy young skin beneath the old skin is normally more hydrated, smoother and functioning much more healthily and actively. The fresh skin also is more absorbent of skin care applied to it. Simple scrubs can be used such as rubbing a mixture of salt and oil or sugar and oil. Try Baking soda and water too. Some may be too rough for some delicate skins.
Give yourself a home facial by incorporating the above skincare with the addition of massage.
A hydrating facial mainly consists of applying moisturising creamy skincare to flood the skin with water and help to soften and calm the skin.
A deep cleansing facial may include a scrub and a clay type mask to loosen dead skin accumulation and absorb dead skin and draw out unwanted skin excretions such as sebum clogged pores and infected pimples.
A Professional Facial allows a person to completely relax while receiving the procedure, with your therapist performing the steps such as an extensive cleansing, a wonderful massage applied to the head, neck and shoulders and applying appropriate treatment masks and serums according to the persons skins current condition and concerns.
A Professional Facial also allows the therapist the ability to examine the entire facial skin surface, give an accurate skin diagnosis and if necessary treat or remove unwanted clogged pores and treat many other common and not so common skin conditions. There are many facial options in today's beauty industry and navigating the myriad of treatment procedures and equipment can be puzzling but a classic facial usually follows the above facial steps.
A home facial using these same steps enhances the beneficial effects of skin care. It is the combination of correct skin care products and application techniques that work in synergy to create a balanced hydrated healthy skin.