Summer Skincare Series: September
We made it! Actually, I’m just impressed and proud that I completed the whole Summer Skin Series month by month! This goes to show you that if you set your mind to something, and persevere, you can accomplish any task no matter how big or small. With that said, let’s discuss skin concerns that comes up when the season come to a close.
“Seasons change, and so do we”
September is a beautiful time of year, everyone is heading off to some new, fresh adventure like the school year or gearing up for the holidays. You can begin to smell the crispness in the morning air that winter is not far away, but the warmth of September days gives us more time to wear summer dresses and sandals.
I like to take transitional periods, like season changes, to reflect on what I have done or what has worked for me up to now. This summer I spent a lot more time inside much like the last two years, so my tan and sun-stressed skin isn’t bad. For me, this still means I will need to hydrate more as being inside is great when battling UV damage, but not great when you factor in artificial air drying us all out.
When it comes to your seasonal skincare, think of what you did this summer and what you might be up to this winter. Our activities play a big role in our skin's health, but you can't just target concerns as they pop up. Having a consistent AM and PM Skincare Routine will help you know what tweaks to make where in your routine to balance out your skin.
Targeting concerns is great but won’t do a thing if you’re not consistent with your skincare! So before we delve into seasonal changes and skincare, let’s make sure you’ve got your morning and night routine dialed in!
I’ve gone over this in past blogs and will continue to drill it in until I am blue in the face: you have to wash and treat your face every morning and every night. For those linear learners, let’s break down why we need to wash our faces twice a day.
In the morning, we are cleansing off sweat, oil, and toxins from our body's sleep cycle. Our bodies are so intelligent, they detox and excrete out toxins we pick up throughout our day and repair the naturally occurring free radicals in our bodies. Think of it as brushing your teeth, even though you brushed them at night, you need to do it again in the morning.
“I regret taking such good care of my skin”
In the evening, it is important to set time aside for our skincare routine, which should only take 8-10 minutes max, to reset ourselves and prepare our bodies to relax from a hard day's work.
Throughout our workday, we pick up environmental debris, dehydrate skin, cause more free radicals from things like smoke and pollution, and then there’s UV damage. Even if we don't leave the house, we touch our faces, eat, and stare at screens. These things all affect our skin internally and topically. Not to mention that AC we are blasting.
If you wear makeup, it is even more important to wash and treat your skin at night! This is also the time you can use those heavy-hitter ingredients like Retinol and serums with lightning agents as you won’t be exposed to UV radiation. Need more info on the skincare routine and cleansing? Check out my Back to Basics Blog on Cleansing to learn more!
Being consistent in your routine is a huge part of the battle, the other half of that battle is using the right product. There is a difference between high-performing cosmeceutical skincare and the regular old over-the-counter drugstore product. Using a quality product that has an ingredient list to match its claims is super, super important. I am not going to diss certain products and praise others, just know that you will be able to visibly see the difference, and it doesn’t have to break the bank.
If you still need some help figuring out what ingredients your skincare should have in it, what products to use, and how to best use them, schedule a Virtual Skin Consultation with me and let's chat!
I’ve said it before, and I am sure I will say it a million more times, don’t use too many skincare lines on your skin! They need to be layered to get the best results with products that are formulated to support it. Having too many product lines layered on top of the other can result in their ingredients not being able to function optimally.
I will be posting about this in an upcoming Throw It Out Thursday blog so look forward to that!
What I want to talk about in this blog is refreshing your routine, not necessarily changing it all out. Admit it, you buy random beauty things with the intention of using them, and then stuff them away into a closet somewhere (I see you Neutrogena LED Mask). I want to encourage you to pull them out, starting with your dry brush!
When was the last time you dry brush? Last winter? A couple of times over the summer when you knew that more of your skin would be exposed? Well, I am here to remind you to use it regularly. Starting now!
Dry brushing during the winter has multiple benefits other than just making your skin soft. One of the biggest benefits is that it stimulates circulation, which is key during winter when it's colder. This will help all your body systems work better, give you a healthy glow, and, of course, make your skin soft. There is debate on when to dry brush, I do mine after the shower as I typically forget to do it beforehand and I think of skincare where you exfoliate after cleansing.
Another tool you might have at home is the Jade Roller, a very hot commodity right now. Use this too over your facial serums or oils to aid in our favorite: lymphatic drainage.
You might notice a theme, a lot of what we do, especially during winter, stimulates lymphatic drainage. This is because our bodies are attacked by cold and flu bugs when seasons shift, and this body system, the lymphatic system, supports body health and flu-fighting power. Using your tools that support lymphatic drainage like dry brushing, jade rollers or facial massage, can help you do more than just look better.
Lastly, let’s discuss body oils, which are very different from facial oils. For body oils, you can make a lot of them yourself by buying the base at a refill supply store or Co-Op and adding your own essential oils. I love going through Pinterest to find different recipes of oil blends to match my skin concern so definitely click that link to see some of those recipes!
Recently, many of my friends and clients have asked me about keratosis pilaris, a fancy word explaining those bumps on the back of your arms. They are a sign of dehydration, and body oils are a great way to seal in that hydration from your moisturizer. Use your dry brush first to remove the excess dead skin and then try adding in a little body oil on top of your body lotion in areas of concern like the backs of arms and legs. Give it a couple of tries and hopefully, you will notice those little bumps disappear!
I hope these few tips, and maybe some more from previous blogs, will help you navigate the weather (pun intended!) and if you have anything you would like to me to write about or investigate, shoot me a message me here or on my Instagram and check out my bio for more ways to connect!
Take care and stay hydrated! Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri