Go for the glow! Up your skin care routine from civilian to celebrity

I often get compliments on my skin followed by surprise when the inquirer learns I’m in my early forties. I’ve always taken those compliments in stride but as I’ve aged I began to see changes that while minor I wanted to begin tackling sooner rather than later.

Those of us with melanin rich skin may have a certain advantage when it comes to aging well but speaking as a person that never took my skin care regimen too seriously I decided to begin taking measures to ensure my youthful appearance stuck around for the long haul. It’s been almost two years now and through feedback from licensed estheticians, reading and following expert tips I’ve developed a solid skin care routine and my skin is flourishing. Here’s an overview of my skin care regimen and a bit of input on how I adopted some of my techniques.

Water

Water is essential for life! If you’ve read a few of my hair related post then you could be sick of me preaching the requirement for moisture in your hair care routine.  Our bodies require moisture, and as I drink I literally envision the life giving fluid nourishing me from the inside out. The more I drink water  of course I’m obliged to visit the restroom more often but I also experience less breakouts and plump, hydrated skin. Just like Nike you have to “Just Do It”. I get my water intake in the morning with a tall glass as part of my AM workout. Once I get in the office I commit to one fruit or veggie infused cup of  H2O, as offered by our in-house café, and I immediately fill up a one liter bottle for my morning requirement. My commitment to myself is to down at least two of those liter bottles during my eight hour work day.

Finally, I’ve never been huge on juice or soda so I also get my water intake in as part of my evening meal. My goal is to track at least another liter bottle at home rounding out my total water intake to one gallon a day. Not only does water intake keep our skin hydrated it helps in some not so obvious ways as well including:

1.       Calorie control – often thirst is disguised as hunger, staying hydrated can help prevent snacking.

2.       Prevents constipation- water aids in digestion by adding fluid to the colon and moving things along.

3.       Purge toxins- certain toxins can lead to clogged pores and acne so drink up.

4.       Skin hydration- back to my original post dehydrated skin can look dry and wrinkled when I’m getting my daily dose of water my skin appears plump and full.

Exfoliation 

On a recent vacation I took the opportunity to indulge in a high end facial. I’ve enjoyed facials throughout the years in various venues from the local beauty college to some pretty top notch salons but this one in particular intrigued me. To put it lightly it was the most money I’ve forked over for an hour of attention focused solely on my face.  I cannot tell a lie the simple beauty and calming demeanor of my South African esthetician coupled with her lovely skin and the soothing overview in which she detailed the intricate steps involved in her process had me hooked like a moth to a flame. She
reeled me in hook, line and sinker when she presented a high tech hydrafacial machine and all its benefits.

My post facial pic with the hubster

Without spending too much time on the machine let me just say I was so busy paying attention to the process that I failed to fully relax but I did show up to dinner that evening make up free and in the words of Beyonce “Flawless”, my skin glowed! At the end of the facial we reviewed my skin care regimen and she gave me a few pointers including the importance of exfoliating a few times a week. One of the reasons she offered was the epidermis of the skin has multiple layers that shed every twenty-eight days, by exfoliating daily we get rid of the old and maintain the new, fresh layer of skin.  Well I kept that information filed in my brain and carried on my merry way, I was on vacation after all.

About two weeks following my facial I was casually reading a magazine in which Elle MacPherson was featured. The article elaborated on how incredible the fifty-one year old looked and she offered a tip that included daily exfoliation of her face and no less than three times per week for her body. Pulling out the tip I’d been passed down from my facial a couple of weeks before, followed by Elle’s two cents and I was convinced that exfoliation was a necessary addition to my skin care routine. I pulled a newer bottle of Freeman’s Polishing Mask in Charcoal & Sugar that I had purchased months before. Placing the bottle directly in line with my facial cleanser I committed to using it daily as part of my nightly routine.  Exfoliating my skin before cleansing adds less than a minute to my regimen but boy can I see a difference with daily use, my skin seems to have “the glow”.

If that’s not enough for you Dr. Harold Lancer, who treats such celebs as Kim K and Beyonce spoke on the difference between “celebrity and civilian skin” in a recent article in “the Cut” featured in nymag.com. In the article he preached the necessity of exfoliating every day. One of the reasons provided by Dr. Lancer was that daily damage, from the sun and aging, had to be exfoliated before the face is cleansed. Want to give good face like Bey? Step up your scrub game!

Clarisonic

My husband gifted me a Clarisonic for Christmas some years ago and I must say it’s one of my favorite and most frequently utilized gifts. In my opinion soap and water don’t do enough to really clean my skin. I began paying more attention to the level of cleanliness only after a facial years ago in which I was advised my cleanser was getting my skin clean enough. Once I introduced the Clarisonic into my skin care routine there were notable differences in my skin, it seemed firmer and there was no longer excess dirt on my face when I applied my toner.  To be honest now that I’ve implemented daily manual exfoliation into my skin care routine I only use my Clarisonic about three times a week. Also as part of my “super deep cleansing” routine, which we'll discuss later, I incorporate my little hand held wonder to go the extra mile in cleaning and exfoliating, I like to think of it as polishing my skin to brightness.

Another tidbit offered by the esthetician during my post facial consult was the importance of cleaning my Clarisonic faithfully. Her feedback was the failure to clean the brush properly could be embedding dirt into your skin – yuck! I’ve since stepped up my brush cleaning routine to ensure my Clarisonic facial cleanse is not counterproductive. Try this recipe at least once a week to ensure your brush stays grime free.

Apply a dime size amount of baby shampoo into your brush and scrub the bristles with clean hands.  After rinsing mix ¼ cup peroxide and let your brush sit for thirty minutes, rinse well and let dry. I’ve adopted this cleansing routine for all my makeup brushes actually and it does a great job in keeping my utensils germ free.

Cleansing

I cleanse my skin twice daily with CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser  and CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion as part of my routine. Prior to washing I use make up remover wipes and Neutrogena Eye Make up Remover, if I'm wearing make up of course. Over the years I’ve also enjoyed Philosophy One-step facial cleanser as well as Cetaphil facial cleanser. I’m a bit of a product junkie in all honesty and currently I have no brand loyalty. The one necessity is that my
skin is gets a good cleaning. Once or twice a week I perform a “super cleanse”. I don’t treat myself to a facial as often as I’d like but I want to make sure that my face, which is subjected to make up, the elements and sweat daily, is well cleansed.

My super cleanse goes something like this:

1.       Removes make up with a wipe as well as eye make up remover solution.

2.       Manual exfoliation with my Freeman polishing mask and rinse with warm water.

3.       Add CeraVe cleanser to my Clarisonic and rotate for one full cycle and rinse with warm water.

4.       Grab my bar of Kojic Acid soap, lather and let it sit until it’s good and tingly and rinse.

5.       Apply my Freeman Cucumber peel mask and allow it to dry while I watch TV or do whatever pleases me.

6.       Peel cucumber mask and gently cleanse with a bar of oatmeal soap and performing a final rinse with cold water to close my clean pores. My face is tight and clean!

Lay it on Thick

I love me some Nadege over at Relaxed Hair Health, I’ve followed her since my hair journey began. I love her so much in fact that at one point I stopped following her for awhile because her post kept my Amazon shopping cart full and my wallets empty. I had to go on rehab ya’ll.  Anyhow one of her post in particular not only caught my eye but it involved products that I kept on hand.  In July 2013 she featured an article titled "Go to bed greasy, wake up gorgeous”.  The deets on this nightly routine is applying a thick oil or balm to your skin at bedtime in order to wake up “gorgeous”. In the article she featured several brown skin beauties with amazing skin, I was hooked! Every since that article I’ve kept vitamin E oil on my nightstand and practiced applying a liberal amount to my face, lips and neck every evening. Also on my bedside table you’ll find at least one bottle of Vaseline Baby Oil gel and I layer that stuff on like I’m about to walk butt naked in the snow and that’s my only protection! Ha! To my surprise I awoke to soft, moisturized skin that seemed to appreciate that layer of lube.

Within the text of the article several options for adding this glow are referenced such as good ole Vaseline petroleum jelly to an almond scented oil by the name of Aura Glow. I personally have used what I have on hand with excellent results, thanks Nadege this tip is easy, cheap and the rewards will literally give your skin the “glow”!

I may not have the formula to combat aging but in my opinion I’m off to a great start. One area I could improve is incorporating sun screen into my regimen. Habitually practicing habits that benefit my hair, skin and body have become second nature and I promise you the results are rewarding. My  routine features common themes such as moisture, daily practice and consistency that seem daunting when you begin but with practice they become second nature. Until next time B&B darlings, go for the glow!