Healthy Skin From Head To Toe: Part 3

Spring is finally here! And it took long enough... The warmer weather means shedding those clunky winter layers and letting your skin breathe! In this Healthy Skin series, I'll be talking about what you'll need in the coming months to protect your skin from head to toe. (This means a lot of sunscreen!)

You know about what ingredients and claims to look out for when buying SPF sunscreen and you now know how to apply it effectively (and when to reapply!), but what about the rest of your body?

Healthy Skin From Head To Toe: Part 2

Spring is finally here! And it took long enough... The warmer weather means shedding those clunky winter layers and letting your skin breathe! In this Healthy Skin series, I'll be talking about what you'll need in the coming months to protect your skin from head to toe. (This means a lot of sunscreen!)

I already touched base on what kinds of ingredients and claims to look out for in your SPF to make sure that you're getting the most protection out of your product, so now how do you actually apply it?

My clients often ask me, "How much sunscreen do you need for the face?" The answer is pretty simple.

Healthy Skin From Head To Toe: Part 1

Spring is finally here! And it took long enough... The warmer weather means shedding those clunky winter layers and letting your skin breathe! In this Healthy Skin series, I'll be talking about what you'll need in the coming months to protect your skin from head to toe. (This means a lot of sunscreen!)

First of all, you know that your body skin is not the same as the skin on your face. If you suffer from breakouts or have even slightly oily skin, most sunscreens just feel gross. The creams are either goopy or greasy and even the ones that say "oil-free" often don't feel so great.

The most important thing you need to know about sunscreen for the face is that for a long time manufacturers have thought consumers want to have moisturizer and sunscreen in one (since the sun has a slightly drying effect on certain skin types). This has caused way too many SPF moisturizers to be formulated as though everyone has super dry skin. Watch out for labels that talk too much about the cream having moisturizing qualities. What the skin really needs is water, not lubrication. 


The second thing to remember is sometimes the claim of "oil-free" can actually be a red flag.

Many base ingredients that are meant to replace oil are waxy substances that clog pores very badly.  Make sure your SPF brand is known for catering to sensitive skin and that the label says "non-comedogenic." Although "non-comedogenic" is an unregulated term, it's more likely that products from national brands will be formulated well enough to be able to back up that claim. If you like natural or organic brands, check in with a knowledgable Esthetician to make sure the ingredients are suitable for your skin type.

People email me all the time with ingredient lists, and what surprises them when I respond is that some ofthe most pore-clogging ingredients are natural, raw materials like cocoa butter and coconut oil. Both are known to be very pore-clogging. Shea Butter is another comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredient.

What Ingredients Really Matter In Your Skincare Products?

"I’ve read that it’s better to use 'all natural' products to treat acne because there are no chemicals.  Is it better to use all natural products or is it all hype?"

As an Esthetician who deals exclusively with acne and sensitivity, I'm asked this question a lot. You might think the answer is quite simple, but it really isn't. The problem is that acne cannot always be effectively addressed by ingredients that are typical of "all natural" skin care lines. In fact there are some "all natural" ingredients that can be horribly aggravating to acne.