I had a facial yesterday, and during the treatment I got to chatting about skin care with the cosmetologist. I felt as if I had met my skin care sister. It was wonderful to meet a professional with a similar understanding of skin care to myself.
Lately, rather than ranting on about toners, as I usually do, I’ve been writing about cleansers. The most common skin care mistakes are in fact: 1) insufficient hydration, and 2) too harsh cleansing. People think that they need to wash their faces properly to get rid of oils and sebum, and to clear out the pores. To do this, they use foams and gels that are far too alkaline and contain harsh detergents, which essentially strip the skin of its protective layer. Add skipping the toner into the mix, and you’ve got tight skin with wrinkles, milia (milk spots), and blockages; the skin might feel coarse to the touch, begin to flake, and look red and dull.
My recommendations for an ideal skin care regime would be:
- a gentle gel, cream, or balm cleanser, only in the evening
- a generous helping of toner, morning and evening
- a light and hydrating serum, morning and evening
- a high-quality moisturizer without too many fillers or consistency regulators
- regular exfoliation with skin type-appropriate AHA-peel
- fluids with mild and natural fruit acids, daily
- generous amounts of antioxidant and fatty-acid rich oils in the evenings
- avoid alkaline products (never use soap on your face; no super foamy products that leave the skin squeaky clean; only use sea salt on the body)
I’ve seen hundreds of skins in the past fifteen years. The most common mistakes are easy to spot in an otherwise healthy skin.
I am confident that even the smallest corrections to your skin care routine will bring about significant changes to the well-being of your skin. I therefore challenge anyone who is interested in skin care to try the following things, if they haven’t already:
- Change your cleanser into a milder one
- Start using toner, morning and evening
- Use an oil over your serum in the evening
- Exfoliate once a week using a fruit acid peel
By using the code KATJA10 at checkout, you will geta 10% off all products at Naturelle until the end of January – so I decided to compile a list of products to correspond with the items above.
Cleanser
Dry skin: Try Tata Harper Refreshing Cleanser or Neal’s Yard Remedies Rejuvenating Frankincense Cleanser
Normal/Combination skin: Try Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser or Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Cleansing Oil
Oily skin: Try Therapi Lemon Myrtle & Honey Gel Cleanser or Juice Beauty Green Apple Cleansing Gel
Toner
Dry skin: Try Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence or Therapi Rose Otto Hydrating Toner
Normal/Combination skin: Try Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence or Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist
Oily skin: Try Therapi Lemon Myrtle Anti-Bacterial Toner or Suki Concentrated Clarifying Toner
Serum
Dry skin: Try Tata Harper Rejuvenating Collagen Serum or Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Booster Serum
Normal/Combination skin: Try Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum or Suki Healthy Aging Serum + Vitamin Peptide Complex
Oily skin: Try Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Serum or Juice Beauty Green Apple Age Defy Serum
Oil
Dry skin: Try Juice Beauty USDA Organic Treatment Oil or Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex
Normal/Combination skin: Try Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Facial Oil or Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex
Oily skin: Try Suki Balancing Oil or Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex
Fruit Acid Peel
Dry skin: Try Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive
Normal/Combination skin: Try Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Full Strength or Suki Renewal Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel
Oily skin: Try Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Full Strength
Enjoy your skin care!
P.S. Personal guidance on matters related to skin care, are available through the Personal Beauty Guide
This post contains affiliate links
Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
