Skin Tips From An Esthetician

Skin Care Tips

A’ight I’m about to brag, but real talk, I get compliments on my skin all the time. While my skin is indeed beautiful (gotta love the humility here), it is for two reasons – genetics (gracias mami) and how I care for it, inside and out. If you feel your skin needs help, then keep reading to learn some tips on how to get your skin looking its best so that you can feel your best! If you feel your skin is perfect, you’re not off the hook – you should maintain that perfect skin so you can age like a fine wine.

When it comes to caring for your skin, there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, it is important to follow a routine. The same way you should brush your teeth morning and night, you should use your skin care morning and night.  The most basic routine would be cleanser and moisturizer. If you like bells and whistles, then you can use a few more steps in your routine. Allow me to break down each step in a routine so that you can understand each step’s role and decide if it makes sense for you to personally include it in your regimen.

Breaking Down Skin Care Routines 

Cleanse

This is the first step of any routine. You want to wash your face to remove debris from the day, and so that your other products (serum, moisturizer) can penetrate and benefit your skin the way it’s supposed to. If you have dry or sensitive skin, try a creamy cleanser. If you have oily skin, try a foaming cleanser. If you have acne, try a foaming cleanser with Salicylic Acid or Tea Tree.

Exfoliation 

Exfoliating can benefit several different skin concerns. In your 20s, your skin turns over about once a month. By the time you hit your 60s, your skin cells turn over every 2 months. Exfoliating can help increase cell turnover. In other words, you remove dead, dull skin cells to reveal fresh, healthy ones. Anyone who is concerned with the skin showing the signs of aging can benefit from exfoliation. Additionally, if you have manchas or dark spots, exfoliating can help to diminish those dark spots.  Lactic Acid is a great ingredient to look for if you are concerned with aging or dark spots because it brightens, hydrates and helps the cells turn over.

Exfoliation can also benefit acne skin. Skin that is genetically prone to acne is 5 times thicker than average skin. All these extra skin cells can clog the pores. Therefore, exfoliating can help remove dead skin cells, thus preventing them from clogging the pores in the first place. Eyyyy. If acne is your concern, look for ingredients like enzymes (from papaya, pineapple, you get the idea), as they will exfoliate without irritating any inflamed breakouts you have. Coarse scrubs might irritate inflamed breakouts. Salicylic Acid can also benefit acne skin as it exfoliates, controls oil and reduces inflammation.

Exfoliation can be very beneficial. Careful though, too much exfoliating can sensitize your skin, which is not bueno. Stick with gentle exfoliants. Be sure to not exfoliate more than once a day. You use an exfoliator once daily to 3 times a week, depending on the exfoliant you chose.

Toner/Mist 

Everyone and their mom can benefit from hydrating the skin topically. An easy way to do this is with a hydrating mist. You can mist it all over your face to give your skin like its own drink of water. This step will help your serums and moisturizers penetrate the skin more profoundly as well. Look for ingredients like rose water, antioxidants, cucumber, etc.

Mask 

Once a week, you can use a mask. Clay masks help to control oils and clogs in the pores. Creamy or gel masks can hydrate the skin. Sheet masks also hydrate the skin. You can try different types of masks depending on your skin concerns and goals. A mask is not necessary, but it can boost your regular routine. Since masks are meant to be used less frequently, they are quite potent. So be sure to do a patch test behind the ear or in the inner wrist to see how your skin will respond.

Serum 

This is where you can have a lot of fun and customize your regimen. Dehydrated skin? Use a serum with hyaluronic acid. Aging skin? Use a serum with vitamin C or peptides. Acne? Use a serum with (you guessed it) Salicylic Acid and Tea tree. Manchas? Try a serum with niacinamide. Your cleanser, toner and moisturizer should be like staples of your regimen. Once you find the ones you love, stick with that, Serums (like masks) are where you can mix it up and have a lot of fun. This is the part of your step where you can experiment.

Moisturize 

During the day, use a moisturizer with SPF! I cannot emphasize this enough.  SPF is the number one way to prevent the signs of aging and, of course, skin cancer. Try to use an SPF 30 or SPF 50. At night, you can use a normal moisturizer without SPF.

Even if your skin is oily, you must moisturize. Moisturizing helps to keep your skin healthy and balanced.  The skin needs oil and water to be healthy. It can produce its own oil. It cannot produce its own water. In fact, the more hydrated your skin is, the less oil it may overproduce. So, even if you are oily, you can benefit from a moisturizer. Just be sure to keep the moisturizer lightweight. If your skin is very dry, you can benefit from using a thicker moisturizer. If your skin is combination, then a medium weight moisturizer will be just right for you.

Eye Cream 

The skin around your eyes is different than the skin on the rest of your face. In fact, the skin around your eyes is among the thinnest skin on your whole body. Think about that the next time before you rub your eyes or pull your eyelid all hard to draw on that poppin’ wing liner. Since the skin around the eyes is different, it needs something a little different. A good eye cream will hydrate, firm and combat puffiness (if necessary). Look for gentle eye creams with antioxidant vitamins to have your eyes looking youthful AF. 

I would like to add here, that if you were born with dark eye circles, then your dark circles are genetic and no eye cream on the planet will reverse your genetics. Bummer, I know. I have baby pictures (awe baby B Money) of myself with ojeras. Que sad. Regardless, I still use eye creams to maintain as much as possible and to prevent. The eyes and lips are the first areas on the face that show signs of aging. So cuidate bien, so you can be a cougar when you’re older, if you’re into that sort of thing. No judgement here at CHB.

Caring for Skin from the Inside 

I broke down the skin care steps here so that you can empower yo’self with knowledge and make educated decisions anytime you decide to invest in your skin care products. Now that we went over what you can do to your face, topically, to maintain your skin, let’s talk about what you can do to help your skin from the inside.

Water 

Are you drinking 3 liters of water a day? Don’t lie. As I write this, I’m taking sips of water to meet my water goal.  Drink up. Besides that, the skin is the largest organ of the human body. Organs like the brain, heart and lungs will soak up water. So be sure to drink plenty of water so that all your organs can benefit. Water is a zero-calorie drink that helps you feel good and look good. What’s not to love? If water tastes boring to you, throw in some lemon or cucumber slices in there. Do what you can to hit those water goals. Your skin (and the rest of your body) will thank you in the long run.

Diet and Lifestyle 

You are what you eat. Scary considering I survived off Hot Cheetos, Ramen and fruit roll ups in my adolescence. Are you eating fruits and vegetables? Are you eating greasy, fried foods? While analyzing your skin concerns and goals, consider your diet and lifestyle. Do you get 7 hours of sleep a night? Or do you bust all nighters and not wash your face before bed because you are so cansada? These are all important factors to consider when it comes to achieving your healthiest and best-looking skin ever. 

Research suggests that avoiding dairy can help acne. If you have acne, an elimination diet may help you pinpoint your triggers. 

Supplements 

When it comes to topical skin care, it typically concentrates itself on the face. When it comes to what you ingest, it can help benefit the skin all over your body. For instance, consuming collagen can help the firmness of your face and other areas. It even helps your joint health.

 Another example still is antioxidants. They will prevent the signs of aging when used topically but ingesting them can help you enjoy the additional benefits they offer. I like to use this example: what happens when you slice an avocado and leave it on the counter? It turns brown and gross, right? That is because the avocado oxidized.  What happens when you make guacamole? You add lemon or lime and it stays green for longer than if you had left the avocado alone. Still with me? Lemon has vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Do you want your face to look like a brown slice of avocado? Or do you want it to look as sexy as guacamole? Same with your organs. You can benefit from applying skin care with antioxidants straight to your face and your whole body will benefit when you ingest the antioxidants.

I like the beauty blend at Compton Health Bar because it has ingredients like collagen and antioxidants to keep yo’ shit right and tight. Get that glow, holmes. 

Read the ingredient break down here.

Tying it All Together 

If you shop for a skin regimen with discernment (and use it regularly), if you drink your water, and if you focus on consuming foods and supplements that will properly fuel your body and benefit your health, you should see great results with improving your skin or maintaining it. It’s never too late or too soon to start. Think about that for a second.

Do you have any questions about your unique concerns and goals? Do you have questions about skin regimens, supplements or where the heck to start? Drop us a comment down below and an expert will get back to you to help ya out. Be sure to let us know what you thought of this post by sharing some love below. Hasta la próxima!