What Do I Get From a Skincare Routine?

Since your skin will be with you for your entire life, and since everyone sees it, it's important that you take care of it. No one should skip good skincare practices. Obviously it's easier to maintain your skin than it is to repair damaged skin, but don't assume it's too late. There are many new products now available to help improve skin, no matter what your age. Before we go any further, we DO NOT believe in doing any more than you have to. Many people benefit from Advanced Care Products, but frequently just a good basic skincare routine will help. We do work with our clients on an on-going basis. If you are using our products, you can contact us at any time and we'll be happy to discuss your skincare concerns, but before you assume you need a variety of advanced care products, we recommend starting with a good basic program and then adding advanced care products as necessary. When to Begin a Skincare Routine A regular skincare routine should be started while still in your teens although because of the cost of products, frequently we find it more realistic to assume you will start doing something in your 20's or 30's. By this time, you should be using a regular skincare routine. Product Costs Regarding the cost of products, unfortunately, you frequently get what you pay for. If you have "normal" skin you'll probably do fairly well with most skincare lines, but if you have oily, dry, sun-damaged, problem/blemished, or any other "non-average" skintype, you need to be more selective about the products you select. Most lines are hypo-allergenic which only means that most people do not have a reaction to the line. Many people also claim to have "sensitive" skin. This can be because many products and preservatives are slightly irritating to the skin and the longer you use one of these products, the more sensitized your skin can become. Because our products are derived from natural plants and extracts they are very gentle to the skin and our reaction rate is almost zero. Changing Skin Types Another problem many people tend to encounter is that your skin DOES change. Many people experience oily skin in their teens and 20's, fairly normal skin in their 30's and 40's and drier skin after that. Because the change happens so gradually you don't notice the change until you start to have breakouts, dry patches, irritation, etc. and then you have to do some repairs before you can even assess which products will really work best for you. If you have dry skin in your teens and 20's you'll probably notice fine lines (especially around the eyes) by your mid-20's. This can be prevented by using a good skincare program. And please stay out of the sun, and use a good sunscreen if you spend time outdoors. (And use it on your neck, upper chest and the backs of your hands.) Water--Is It Necessary? Okay, you've heard this time and again, but eight glasses of water does help. The skin is primarily composed of water and can easily become dehydrated (which is where lines and wrinkles can come from). This needs to be combated in two ways, internal hydration and external moisturizing. In addition, changes in stress levels and lifestyles will all affect your skin. SOAP-Stop Using It NOW! And SOAP. Please stop using bar soap. Even liquid soap, while not wonderful, is better than bar soap. Soap is very drying to the surface of the skin. In order to keep it's shape, it has wax in it which is very drying to your skin. People with dry skin know that their skin feels drier after washing with soap, but oily skintypes usually don't realize that over-drying the surface of the skin can cause excessive oiliness and aggravate breakouts and shine. The Bottom Line Now, having said all that, a good skincare program will give you soft, smooth, even-toned skin. There is no "miracle" cure. Skincare products are designed to work together to produce great looking skin. It takes a regular program of products that are designed for your skin type. You also have to use the products regularly. Selecting the proper mix of products is the first step. If you are now using soap and water to clean your face, and have dry skin, you can probably assume you are more likely normal to dry (since the soap dries the surface of the skin, when you switch to a cleanser you should notice an improvement almost right away) and after using a regular skincare program for about 6 weeks, your skin will feel much more hydrated. At that point, if you are using products formulated for dry skin, you may start to experience breakouts and possibly even an "almost-oily" feeling. The products are too rich. There are also many other factors to consider including age which is very important, your skin texture and tone and other items. We have developed a Skin Type Test to analyze your skin type. Based on this, we will recommend which of our products are best for your skin type. This provides an excellent starting point. The goal is to obtain "normal" skin. The reason it is called "normal" is because most people can have it, with proper care. The products within a skincare product line are designed to work together. While you may do fine using just a few of the products, you will have better results and more long term success if you use the full product line. Getting The Results You Want The Cleanser is designed to dissolve the surface dirt, impurities, make-up, environmental pollution, and excess oils from your face. All our cleansers are water based and are formulated using natural plant extracts to work gently and effectively. The Toner follows the cleanser and completes the work of the cleanser by removing any remaining residue and toning the skin by refining the pores and preparing the skin to take maximum advantage of the moisturizer. You can spritz the toner directly on your face (lightly) and wipe with a cotton pad or use a cotton ball or pad to apply the toner--it may come away slightly dirty, this is perfectly normal (your cleanser is working) the toner just removes the residue from the cleanser/dirt on your face. An interim step within our program is the Serum. The serum is a special care product and is designed to boost the effectiveness of the moisturizers, masques and night treatment. Serums are highly concentrated, active ingredients and they should be used very sparingly on cleansed and toned skin. The Hydrating Serum helps hold moisture on the surface of skin and helps to keep the skin moist and hydrated (refining fine lines, smoothing the surface and increasing softness). The Soothing Serum helps calm sensitive skin and maintain balance on normal skin (reducing redness, calming irritation and keeping the skin moist, without added oil). The Balancing Serum helps prevent oil production, refines the texture of the skin and refines pores (soothing the skin to reduce oil production, preventing mid-day shine and refinig the texture and tone of the skin). The Purifying Serum helps prevent oil production, keeps the skin clean and antiseptic and helps prevent bacteria from forming that can cause breakouts (absorbing excess oil, helps to keep oily build-up from accumulating and prevents breakouts by killing bacteria). Moisturizers have always been used by normal to dry and dry skin types but oily skin types should also use a moisturizer. Moisturizers balance the skin. They do not make the skin oily. They "plump" up the skin by bringing moisture to the surface of the skin. They also protect the surface of the skin from the elements and smooth and soften the surface of the skin. The moisturizers for dry skin is rich and nourishing (not greasy) and the moisturizers for oily skin are oil balancing (and actually help inhibit over production of oil). Masques and Scrubs/Peels are considered Intensive Care but are very important for soft, smooth skin. The masque refines the skin by making it smoother and softer. The masques for dry skin are moisturizing and the masques for oily skin provide excess oil control. There is also a masque for sensitive skin which calms and soothes and one for problem/blemished skin which deep cleans and helps prevent new blemishes from forming. The scrubs sluffs off dead surface cells which can form causing dullness and coarseness of the skin. The peel performs the same function as the scrub but is a bit more oil absorbing and is grainless. These products only need to be used twice a week (as recommended) and really boost the effectiveness of your skincare program. (The serum should also be used under the masque.) These products comprise a basic skincare program. The products should be used morning and night according to the recommended Skincare Routine. You should notice some results in about one to two weeks on our products. For the full effect, you really need to be on the products for 6-8 weeks. That's how long it takes for your skin to complete a cycle. If you have VERY DRY or VERY OILY skin, you'll notice some improvement, but the full 8 weeks will probably be necessary before you feel "normal." The same holds true for problem/blemished skintypes. If you are relatively close to normal you'll find that the results are less dramatic, but faster. Problem/blemished skin types should also note that the use of a regular skincare routine (especially if you are not using a regular routine) may cause some surface breakouts. This is because the products open clogged pores and allow oils and waxes that have been "buried" to surface. (The breakouts will disappear with continued use.) All our products are non-comedogenic which means they do NOT clog pores. If you have clogged pores, it may take several weeks for them to cycle out but using the correct products will prevent pores from clogging in the future. It is extremely important that you use the proper combination of products for your skin type. Many people believe they have dry skin (and use dry skin products) because they experience flakiness in the T-zone. This is often caused by excessive oiliness that builds up on the surface of the skin and these people should be treating their combination or normal to oily skin with different products. For More Information Our skincare products are listed under the section Skincare Product Information. Click on each category for detailed information about the products, including ingredient listings.