by Shannon Hall, AnamCara Spa + Beauty Bar –
Spring cleaning time! Spring cleaning your skincare is as important as decluttering your home or detoxifying your body.
Let’s begin in your own bathroom (take this article with you).
Keep or toss? Just like your food, your skin care products expire, rendering them to be useless or even damaging to your skin. If you can’t remember when you purchased it, toss it! Do you really use all the products you own? If you don’t have a NEED for that product, it goes. Assess your bathroom drawer and really consider if you are using each item. If the answer is “no but what if …” say goodbye.
Will I use this in the summer? Most of us have seasonal skin changes. We tend to use heavier, more moisturizing products in the fall/winter, and more lightweight, oil-free options during spring/summer. If you aren’t going to use those products after the weather changes, especially if you know the product will expire by the time you will use it again, throw it away.
But I feel like I’m wasting money! Skin care is very trial and error. What works well for your friends might do nothing for your skin.
Be wise with your money. Ask for samples whenever possible. Purchase smaller sizes for your first time using a product.
Speak with an esthetician before purchasing a product to discuss whether or not it might be appropriate for your skin type and lifestyle.
Reach For Lighter Products. Springtime on the West Coast brings higher humidity levels.Your skin will require a lighter moisturizer for more normal/dry or normal/oily skin types. Using a lighter weight moisturizer allows your skin to feel more in balance with the spring season!
SPF is still needed. It is a must – every day. Find a daytime moisturizer with a built-in Broad Spectrum SPF 50 (Dermalogica’s Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 is one I highly recommend) to radically prevent premature aging and sun damage. Layer with a tinted moisturizer, pressed minerals or BB foundation with a built-in SPF. Depending on your skin type, Jane Iredale Mineral Skincare Makeup Foundations, one of my favourites, are designed to protect and flawlessly finish your skin!
Exfoliate. Exfoliation promotes skin cell turnover, which allows your skin to be smoother and ready to properly absorb your serum and/or moisturizer giving you a youthful glow! Get on board with exfoliating!
Evaluate Your Makeup. Foundation! It’s less about colour and more about consistency. If it isn’t part of your skincare regime, it truly needs to be. Switching from a heavier, creamy foundation in winter to a tinted moisturizer/SPF or even pressed mineral powder/SPF still gives great protection against pollutants and provides extra sun protection! If you are starting to notice more oiliness, shine or “melting” of your makeup, it might be time to switch to something more lightweight and mattifying.
Visit Your Esthetician. Nothing will give your actual skin a deep spring cleaning like a visit to your friendly esthetician! They can address all of your skincare and foundation concerns directly and can customize your facial and prescribe the correct skin care regime for your lifestyle. Facial treatments are recommended on a monthly basis. Change of season means facials are a definite MUST for all skins types.
Eat well and hydrate. Healthy skin begins within.
