The 7 Pillars of a Great Skincare Regime

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Skincare Advice, skincare routine

Knowing what to use on your skin, how often it should be used and in what order is a bit of a mystery. It would seem to be a deep secret that only a few know but no-one seems to know it all. It’s a bit like the recipe for Lea and Perrins: divided by 4 people, each know what has to be included on their part and how much – but no-one knows it all.

So we’re going to try to shed some light on the secret even though it will be in broad strokes. We will attempt to use the most common name for the product type in order that it can benefit everyone.

1. Cleanser

The Cleanser is always the first step in any skincare routine, removing debris, oils and environmental pollutants that have built up throughout the day.

A cleanser is critical for all Skincare Regimes and most, if not all should be used morning and evening.

2. Exfoliator

The exfoliator is used to remove any dead skin cells and encourage skin cell renewal. They also help to reveal the younger skin layers below which are often brighter and firmer.

An exfoliator should be used once or twice weekly in general although there are now many daily exfoliators available.

3. Masque or Mask

The masque is an intensive treatment that is designed to be left on the face for a much longer period of time. This time varies due to the ingredients in the masque and the purpose of the masque which could be to deeply nourish dry skin or intensively treat oily skin.

A masque should be used once or twice weekly generally.

4. Toner

The toner is used to re-introduce water to the skin. Dehydrated skin types are often lacking in water and require a toner to begin the process of nourishing the skin after the preparing products used before such as the cleanser and exfoliator.

A toner should usually be used morning and evening.

5. Serum

Serums are highly concentrated products that can be used to target specific areas of concern or can be used to enhance the power and benefits of your moisturiser by mixing them together.

A serum should usually be used morning and evening.

6. Eye Care

Eye creams are designed specifically to be used around the delicate eye area and are used to target concerns such as dark circles, fine lines and dryness.

An eye cream should be used morning and evening in most cases.

7. Moisturiser

Moisturisers are the final step in your skincare routine and are one of the key elements of any skincare routine along with a cleanser. They are the final step in the nourishing elements of your routine.

A moisturiser should be used both morning and evening.

In future articles we will further explore the two sides of a skincare routine and how the 7 elements work together and why it is important that they are used in this order.

Changing Seasons and Our Skin Part 3 – Moisturisers

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autumn skincare, Skincare Advice, skincare routine

Image courtesy of http://www.anamiandjanine.com/blog/

A moisturiser is one of the two most important elements in everyone’s skincare regime. Your moisturiser is beneficial in the following ways:

• Hydrate and Nourish your skin – even oily skin types
• Repair and Protect
• Replenish essential elements

Moisturisers are critical to your daily skincare regime and are always the final step in your routine.

When the weather changes one of the most common elements to look at changing will be your moisturiser. Due to the effects of the cold and the wind, combined with the drying nature of central heating, a richer moisturiser maybe needed either once or even twice a day until the milder weather comes again in the new year.

Dermalogica Moisturisers

Dermalogica have a great range of moisturisers and we are able to make recommendations for alternatives when the weather turns and you feel you could use that little bit extra.

Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion

Oil Control Lotion is designed for those with the oiliest of skin types and whilst it would be rare for this group to suffer, a great alternative would be Active Moist. It is still a moisturiser for oily skin but it is a little richer and would be useful as a next step.

Dermalogica Active Moist

Active Moist is one of Dermalogica’s top 10 products and certainly number 2 only to Skin Smoothing Cream in the moisturiser rankings. It is designed for use by normal/oily skin types and it will be people with this skin type and normal/dry skin types (see Skin Smoothing Cream) which will be more likely to make a change when the weather turns. The logical next step would indeed be the Skin Smoothing Cream and many of our customers make this change as the weather deteriorates.

Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream

Skin Smoothing Cream is Dermalogica’s best selling product by far. As mentioned previously it is designed for normal/dry skin types and people in this category will tend to need to change more than any other and move to a richer cream such as the Intensive Moisture Balance or Super Rich Repair.

Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance

Intensive Moisture Balance is the richest of the main line moisturisers. It designed for very dry skin and is an ideal night cream when combined with Skin Smoothing Cream. If you are using the Intensive Moisture Balance and the weather is affecting your skin the last resort would be the Super Rich Repair which is the richest moisturiser that Dermalogica produce.

Dermalogica Super Rich Repair

Super Rich Repair is a good as it gets in terms of rich moisturisers. It is part of the AGE Smart Range of products and is vacuum sealed due to the nature of the ingredients and how they need to be stored before application to your skin.

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50

Dynamic Skin Recovery is again a part of the AGE Smart Range and works brilliantly in conjunction with the Super Rich Repair as a morning moisturiser.

Dermalogica UltraCalming Barrier Repair

UltraCalming Barrier Repair is a unique product and could be considered as an additional layer for anyone suffering with the weather. Barrier Repair is a moisturiser designed primarily for sensitive skin types but works in conjunction with all of the other moisturisers but especially Skin Smoothing Cream. For people who spend a lot of time outdoors during the cold weather the Barrier Repair and Skin Smoothing Cream combination is very much a winner. Simply apply Barrier Repair after cleansing and then follow with the Skin Smoothing Cream.

You can Buy your Dermalogica Moisturisers from Pure Beauty Online now.

Changing Seasons and Our Skin Part 2 – Cleansers

Tags

autumn skincare, dermalogica, Skincare Advice

Image courtesy of http://higgledygarden.com/.

A key element in each and every Skincare Routine is your Cleanser which is designed to prepare your skin for the products that follow. Cleansers do this by:

• Removing debris that has naturally built up throughout the day
• Removing environmental pollutants
• Removing makeup
• Rebalancing oilier skin types
• Hydrating drier skin types

Cleansers are such a critical element in your daily Skincare Routine because the products that are designed to follow them cannot work to their best without them. For example, it is simply not worth applying a Moisturiser without Cleansing first.

Most people who experience a change in their skin as the weather deteriorates will not need to change their Cleanser but for those who are affected by the colder, windier days they should consider looking at alternative Cleansers as a first step.

Dermalogica Cleansers

Dermalogica have a great range of daily and treatment Cleansers all of which we can recommend alternatives for if you find that you many want to look at changing your cleanser as the weather changes.

Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser

The Dermal Clay Cleanser is an ideal cleanser for very oily skin types. An alternative would be to choose the Special Cleansing Gel which is suitable for normal (oily and dry) skin types.

Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel

The Special Cleansing Gel is ideal for most normal skin types – both slight oily or slightly dry. An alternative would be the Essential Cleansing Solution which is suitable for dry skin types. The UltraCalming Cleanser may also be suitable for some under these circumstances.

Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution

The Essential Cleansing Solution is suited to dry skin types being a creamy cleanser. An alternative maybe the UltraCalming Cleanser which could help ease any sensitivity created by the weather changes.

Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser

The UltraCalming Cleanser is suitable for sensitive skin types and doesn’t even require water to be used to remove it. An alternative maybe the Essential Cleansing Solution due to it’s richer and creamier texture.

You can Buy your Dermalogica Cleansers from Pure Beauty Online now.

Changing Seasons and Our Skin

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autumn skincare, decleor, dermalogica skincare products, Skincare Advice

Image courtesy of http://miriadna.com

It will soon be time for the circle to turn and for the seasons to change. The early mornings are already a little darker and the nights are slowly drawing in and whilst we are enjoying a most wonderful Indian Summer we all know that it will soon come to an end.

As the seasons change it is quite natural that our skin can change too. Skin that has been oilier in the warmer spring and summer months may now become a little drier and require more moisturisation. Sensitive skin can be a particular problem as the environmental elements that can aggravate and make the situation worse begin to appear. It is not only cold, wind and rain that can cause issues, but also the tools we use to keep these at bay, such as central heating, may have an effect too.

Part of the preparation for the changing seasons is considering if the products you are using in your Skincare Regime are suitable for the colder weather. In all likelihood the products that you use in the height of summer are suitable in the depths of winter, but there are some that find that they have to change with the weather.

There are 7 Pillars of a Great Skincare Regime but even with a Basic Skincare Regime changes can be made. Changes to key elements of the regime such as your Cleanser, Toner or Moisturiser can make all of the difference during these months.

Over the next few posts we will be discussing each of these key element changes in turn and making suggestions of Dermalogica and Decleor Skincare Products that you could change to in order that the transition in seasons is managed for you and your skin’s health.

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Extremely dry sensitive skin

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sensitive skin, skin care explained, skin care problems, Skincare Advice

Image courtesy of http://www.dermalinstitute.com

Dry and Sensitive skin often go hand in hand and can be the cause of pain, discomfort and emotional upset.

It seems to be a problem that many people have to live with on a daily basis yet they can find it difficult to deal with.

There are a multitude of reasons for sensitivity and it often, although not always, goes hand in hand with dryness. The sensitivity can often be the cause of the dryness.

Initially it would be beneficial to find out what it is exactly that causes your skin to become sensitive. The reasons can be many and varied and can range from environmental factors such as heat and cold, ongoing exposure to the weather, medical conditions or the ingredients in the skin care products being used.

There are entire ranges from both Dermalogica and Decleor that we offer that are designed specifically to deal with sensitive and dry skin. One of our favourites is a combination of the Dermalogica UltraCalming Barrier Repair and the Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream.

Both of these products are moisturisers and whilst it may seem excessive to use two moistuisers on a daily basis we have found, as have many of our Salon Clients and Online Customers, that the combination is exactly what a lot of people need. The Barrier Repair is a silicone based moisturiser that really helps with the sensitivity whilst the Skin Smoothing Cream helps combat the dryness.

Dry and Sensitive skin is a real problem for some people and it can cause genuine and prolonged concern but there are many ways of helping to deal with it and using the right skin care products is one of the key weapons in helping to tackle these issues.