Throw It Out Thursday: Wash It Or Toss It?
Ok, so you aren’t exactly throwing anything out with today’s blog, more like throwing out old dirty habits and finding a rhythm to your tools, both in usage and above all cleaning.
Tools. Not the guy at the bar who asks for your number and then turns to the girl next to you with the same line after you turned him down. We are talking skincare tools that we utilize in our daily routine to get us even better results. For simplicities sake, I am going to break this down into 3 categories: Cleansing Tools | Facial Massage Tools | Reusables & Disposables.
These are the most common categories of tools that you will find in a home skincare routine, heard of the Clarisonic? Hopefully, when you’re finished reading this, you will feel so confident and have the cleanest (and most used) skincare tools on the block.
“Beautiful skin requires commitment, not a miracle.”
— Erlo Lazo
Skincare Tools For Cleansing -
There are a few different types of facial cleansing tools that you might have seen circling the shelves at Target or Sephora, or even some you own, nad quite a few of them can be very similar so I will lump some together if they are basically the same tool:
-
Facial Brush/Clarisonic: This can be electric, like the Clarisonic, or manual like the brush pictured to the left, except the brush in this picture is meant for your body not your face. More on facial brushes and exfoliation HERE. As far as cleaning them goes, you typically want to use these 3-4x a week, between usage the brush heads should be stored in a closed container. Clean the brush heads with soap and water right after using them. Yup. Right after. So you cleanse your skin, pop the brush attachment off, wash with soap and water, let dry under a clean face towel, once the bristles are dry you can place it back into your closed container for storage. For a deeper cleaning, you can immerse the brush heads in a solution, honestly I believe ACV + Distilled Water is a great combo as there isn’t any bacteria and its a natural cleaning agent. However, if your don’t like the smell of Apple Cider Vinegar this might not be the combo for you.
-
Skin Scrubber/Spatula: Now there’s the professional ones we use in the treatment room, and then there are the ones you can buy anywere. The difference is power and functions, but save that for another blog. These have a metal spatula that vibrates to help loosen surface dead skin, you can also use this for extractions. Cleaning it is the same either way you use it. Always keep this tool stored safely, away from water, and in a closed cabinet, preferrably inside a case, like a velvet pouch. Before and after using this tool, wipe it down with Alcohol, make sure it isn’t dripping alcohol into the mechanical part of the tool. I like to use the prep wipes from first aid kits, you can get them in bulk and now you just have more uses for them!
-
Extractors/Blackhead Removers: Very simply, wipe down with alcohol before using, drying with a clean paper/cloth towel, after using: clean with soap and water and emerse in alcohol for at least 2 minutes. Remove tool and rinse under cold water before drying off and returning to a closed container. Note- your medicine cabinet does not count as a “closed container”, think tupperware or mason jars, something with a lid that cannot let dirt and debris in.
Skincare Tools For Facial Massage -
Another fun category that has loads of really popular tools in it! Facial Massage has many benefits, from keeping our bodies healthy to de-puffing a face, there are so many reasons why you want to do this regularly. I only discuss a few facial tools used for massage in this blog, but you can check out more facial tools on my Instagram HERE.
One style that's picked up attention is Lymphatic Drainage. For more about lymphatic drainage and 8 simple steps on how to do it at home, check out this blog HERE. The tools mentioned here can be used in this massage technique as well.
The Jade/Quartz Roller & Gua Sha Tools:The Vibrating Facial T Bar:
In the past, there were some things we used for skincare that were disposable, tossed aside, and could hurt the earth by adding undue waste. Fortunately, science and advancements in skincare have made many of these previously disposable products reusable.
-
Reusable Cotton Wipes: Similar to what you would picture if I said “eye makeup wipe” these are great for applying your toner with, or removing masks with. Simply use them once, toss them to be washed with your laundry, once they’ve been washed and dried, store them in (you guessed it) a closed container like a ziplock baggy. You will probably want to replace them after 1-3 years, similar to your bath towels.
-
Face Towels: Now I am adding this here becuase I am learning that we tend to have some weird habits around our linens, so just to clear things up here it is. Only use your towel once, and then toss it in the hamper to be washed. Wash in hot water with a disinfecting soap, like the Lysol one that is being promoted for killing covid. The important part is you keep your clean towels in a closed cabinet and not out in your bathroom, and wash after each use.
-
Disposable Compressed Sponges: These are super neat and kind of a novelty, esepecially if you have the reusable cotton wipes. However, still an important tool to discuss! If you have one, once you have added water to it, it is only good for 5 days. Keep it in a ziplock baggy and toss in the trash after five consecutive days, not five usese, FIVE DAYS.
Cleaning anything can seem like a chore, but when you attach the results you’re going to see on your skin to the reason behind the chore, it makes it worth it. Doing these little extra steps mght seem like a lot at first, but soon they will become habit and you’ll notice how tidy and clean your whole life is becoming!
A few Throw It Out Thursday’s ago I wrote about expired product. I wanted to share that chart here as this is always good to refresh ourselves on.
Check out that blog on expired product HERE and make sure you are not using old, expired product with your new clean tools!
Even though I feel like we touched on a lot of the tools that are being used at home, I am sure I missed a few. If your tool was not listed, but has similar properties to any of the ones mentioned, chances are the cleaning steps are the same. What matters is how you store the tool, how you clean the tool and that you are actually using that tool!
Go through your skincare stuff and see if you have anything that needs a good cleaning. Don’t have any of these tools? Choose the one that makes you the most excited (for me this was Jade Rollers!) and invest in it. Start off with one tool to ensure that you’re more likely to use it, having all the tools but never using them is not the situation we want to find ourselves in. I hope this was helpful, head over to my Eri the Esti Instagram and tell me what your favorite skincare tool is!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri