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Your After-Sun Skincare Guide!
Did you know caring for your skin after prolonged exposure is just as important as wearing SPF to protect it during the day? When the skin is exposed to UV rays for extended periods of time (yes, even if you constantly reapply sunscreen), the top layer of the skin gets fried. Dry skin, especially after a long day in the sun, causes redness, creates the perfect environment for acne-causing bacteria to get comfortable, and can cause premature signs of aging.
Being diligent with your after-sun skincare routine not only soothes the skin to remove redness and irritation but restores and protects the skin’s natural moisture barrier, which is critical to the overall health of your complexion. Here are our favorite products to keep your skin healthy and glowing all summer long!
Green Tea & Pomegranate Antioxidant Tonic
This powerful toner is perfect for rehydrating and refreshing the skin after sun exposure. It works to remove any leftover oils, bacteria, or product residue that might still be lingering on your skin after cleansing. This lightweight, moisturizing toner is packed with antioxidants, amino acids and niacinamide to help repair and regenerate at a cellular level to keep your complexion bright and even!
Uses:
Spray on face & body after cleansing or to soothe sunburns
Use to refresh skin post-workout or during long periods of sun exposure
Soothe dry hands
Botanical Milk Cleanser
If you’ve spent a long day in the sun, using an active ingredient cleanser may be too harsh on the skin (especially if it’s burned) and can cause further irritation and redness. Opting for a mild, gentle cleanser like our Botanical Milk Cleanser will effectively cleanse the skin while rehydrating the skin to keep it looking youthful!
Acne & Rosacea safe
Vitamin C brightens the skin
Use as makeup remover
Hydro-facial Daily Gel Cream Moisturizer
It’s likely that as the seasons change, so will the daily moisturizer you opt for. The heavier creams you use in the winter will likely cause breakouts in the summer due to increased sweating and sun exposure. Our light-as-air Hydro-facial Daily Gel Cream Moisturizer can be used all year round and is packed with Hyaluronic Acid to deeply nourish and rehydrate the skin without clogging your pores.
Hyaluronic Acid deeply hydrates & restores
Caffeine energizes look of dull skin
Acne & Rosacea safe
What you should know about face acids.
We know what you’re thinking….what the heck is a face acid and how do you pick the right one? Don’t worry - you’ve come to the right place!
Though the term “face acid” sounds positively terrifying, it is actually the prize of the skincare world and can get your complexion to go from not to hot. Here’s everything you need to know about face acids:
What they are
To say it simply, face acids in skincare refer to ingredients that are used for exfoliation and have a pH balance of < 7. Face acids can be separated into two major categories: AHAs and BHAs. These ingredients work to stimulate cellular turnover and shed old, dull, dead skin cells to make way for shiny, bright new ones. It’s the equivalent of a micro-chemical peel that loosens up all the bad stuff and allows it to slough those cells right off your face.
AHAs vs BHAs: What’s what?
AHAs, or alpha hydroxy acids, are water-soluble meaning they work mostly on the surface layer of the skin and target things like texture issues, fine lines, wrinkles and dullness. They gently exfoliate the outer layer of skin to even out tone, texture and ultimately brighten the skin.
BHAs, or beta hydroxy acids, penetrate the skin and get into the lower layers to help unclog pores and remove oils and dead skin cells making them a great option for those with acne-prone skin.
Our favorite face acids
While there are many different acids to choose from, we have a few that we always find ourselves coming back to to keep us looking young and radiant. Here are our top 5 all time favorites:
Hyaluronic Acid: If you’re looking to draw moisture into your skin and get that plumping effect look no further. Hyaluronic acid is the holy grail of hydrating acids and can help reduce the look of dull, dry skin and fine lines.
Kojic Acid: Kojic acid actually works to prevent the forming of melanin (what gives our skin pigment) and lightens the skin. It targets dark spots, discoloration, hyperpigmentation and can battle acne scars.
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant as well as a face acid and works to brighten the complexion and protect against photoaging. Skin looking tired, dull or lifeless? Give it some Vitamin C.
Mandelic Acid: Mandelic acid is our favorite acid for fighting acne-causing bacteria because it’s gentler on the skin and yields the same results as other AHAs like glycolic or salicylic acid. Mandelic acid works to promote collagen production, accelerate cellular turnover and is a powerful exfoliant perfect for acne-prone skin.
New Year Skincare Resolutions You Can Keep!
We’ve heard it before - “this year I’m definitely going to pay more attention to my skin!” We know you have good intentions when it comes to following through with your new year’s goals, but then life gets in the way. Our advice? Start small. You don’t need a 27-step skincare routine to have glowing skin. What you DO need is a good routine and a few carefully selected products to get you started.
Here’s where to start:
Figure out what your skin type is.
This is the most important thing you can do for your skin. Knowing what skin type you have will determine which types of products you use. In order to get maximum results you absolutely cannot skip this step! Here’s how to tell based on how your skin feels:
Tight? Your skin is likely dry
Noticeable shine on nose and forehead? Likely normal / combination
Shine on cheeks in addition to forehead and nose? Likely oily
Get the skincare basics.
First things first: the essentials. You can worry about all of those extra products later. Here’s what you should start with:
Cleanser: Natural products can be great for the skin but not when it comes to preventing breakouts. Make sure you choose a cleanser with an active ingredient so that it kills acne-causing bacteria and keeps your skin’s delicate ecosystem healthy and balanced.
Toner: The type of toner you choose should be specific to your skin type. It gently exfoliates the skin so be careful of over exfoliation!
Serum: We would opt for a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid or a brightening serum with vitamin c to start with!
Moisturizer: Having hydrated skin is literally a cureall. When your skin is properly hydrated you look younger, have less prominent fine lines and wrinkles and protect your skin from breakouts. When your skin is dry you get microtears in the skin and it's the perfect environment for acne-causing bacteria to settle into...yuck!
SPF: SPF IS YOUR BFF. Seriously. If you want to prevent dark spots, dull looking skin and signs of aging then you absolutely need to wear SPF. Yes even inside and YES even in the winter. Don’t forget about your neck and your hands!
Eye cream: The skin under your eyes is 10x thinner than the rest of the skin on your face. Your under eyes deserve special attention and are also the area that can show signs of aging first. A good eye cream can make you look brighter, more awake and younger all at the same time!
Establish a routine.
If you ever want to see results from your hard work, consistency is key. Even more importantly is the actual layering of your products for max results. Here’s what our AM & PM routines look like:
Morning Routine:
Cleanse with gentle cleanser
Vitamin C serum
Moisturizer
SPF
Bedtime Routine:
Gently remove makeup
Use cleanser with an active ingredient
Use toner
Apply serums (thinnest to heaviest)
Moisturize
Apply eye cream
Weekly Routine:
Gently exfoliate 1x per week
Use a hydrating mask 2x per week
Healthy skin habits to prioritize:
Hydrate:
Hydration is essential to a glowing complexion. Staying properly hydrated allows your skin to look and feel rejuvenated every day. Well-hydrated skin is generally less sensitive and helps fight fine lines and wrinkles.
Here’s how we like to keep our skin hydrated:
Internal hydration: Water. Water. Water. There is nothing more important to full body and skin health than drinking enough water. Everybody is different, but we recommend at least 8 8oz glasses per day. Tip: drink coconut water for extra hydrating power.
External hydration: We LOVE our hydrating masks. We recommend Get Glowing 2x per week along with Mandelic Acid 5+ Pads for gentle exfoliation to give you the best hydrating experience.
Don’t Touch:
Hands OFF the face! We know, we know, with a face this pretty it’s nearly impossible to resist. But listen here - not touching your face will expedite the skin glowing process. This means no picking, no sleeping with your hands on the pillow, no resting your face on your hands. It’s tough, we know, but pay attention to it and you’ll be able to build this healthy skin habit.
4. Stick to your Routine:
Ultimately, habits come down to routine. Healthy skin habits are no exception, you’ll succeed as you prioritize these in your routine. Use our guidelines about to build your perfect am and pm routine then stick to it!!! Your skin will thank you for your dedication to washing, taking off makeup, putting on serums, and protecting with the appropriate SPF! WE GOT THIS!
Breakouts vs. Purging - Which is which?
It seems like it’s an endless cycle.. Girl sees skincare, girl buys skincare, skincare leads to a massive breakout. But what if all this time you weren’t actually breaking out and your skin was just purging? Here’s what to look for to find out.
Breakouts
If you pay close attention to your skin, you’ll notice it always asks you for exactly what it needs - moisturizer, a gentle cleanser, a detox mask. This rule also applies to trying out new skincare products. Breakouts are caused by bacteria and pores that are clogged by dead skin cells. The bacteria gets trapped in the pores and triggers an immune response, causing a flare up and angry, red blemishes.
Purging
Purging refers to blemishes caused by an increase in cell-turnover to remove dead skin cells, which, incidentally, also produces flare ups and blemishes. The difference with purging is that it usually will last 6-8 weeks before your skin returns to normal. Think of this process as an accelerated shedding process that pulls up all of the gunk currently trapped in your pores.
How to tell the difference
Purging pulls up what already exists deep below the surface. If you begin breaking out in areas that you’ve never had blemishes in before, it’s likely that it’s a breakout, not a skin purge. Purge blemishes are also somewhat mild, existing just below the surface of the skin while blemishes caused from breakouts are categorized as cysts, nodules and pustules that are rooted deep beneath the surface.
Pay attention to the time frame in which you’ve implemented a new skincare product to your routine as well as the ingredients it contains. Look for products that are non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) and be sure to always do a patch test before using across the entire face!