Step one: Cleanse
The first step to maintaining healthy skin and transforming your skin care routine into a daily skin care ritual is simply to cleanse it.
Why Cleanse?
The purpose of cleansing is to remove dirt, makeup, grime, contaminants and so forth from the surface of the skin. It also aids the penetration of active ingredients you may want to apply afterwards.
Most people should cleanse twice a day, usually in the morning and again at night before bed. It is best to use warm water and a mild cleanser free of harsh detergents, soaps, alcohol or other irritants.
Harsh cleansers can strip too much beneficial oil from your skin which causes dry damaged skin. You only want to remove grime and excess oil from the skin surface, not strip it completely free of all the necessary oil that maintains healthy skin.
EXPERT TIP: We recommend you avoid using toners unless you have oily skin, which remains sticky or oily after cleansing. This is the only situation where you should use a toner as most toners contain alcohol and/or witch hazel which can strip necessary oils from the skin causing dryness and irritation, especially if you already have dry or sensitive skin.
Toners were first developed to re-acidify the skin after using very alkaline soaps and cleansers. If the cleanser is formulated with an appropriate pH then a toner is not necessary.
Over 30? Make a date to exfoliate
Regular exfoliation should also be considered if you are over thirty and have developed dull, lifeless looking skin. Exfoliation is a technique where the outer layer of mostly dead epidermal cells on the surface of the skin are removed to expose fresher brighter looking skin. Since exfoliation can reduce the production of skin oil (sebum) people with oily skin may also benefit using regular exfoliation, especially if they exfoliate with beta and/or alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic and salicylic acids, both found in our Revitalise Daily and Weekly Peels.
Dry skin? Best use a mild exfoliator or none at all
On the other hand, exfoliation may cause further irritation in people with dry and/or sensitive skin, who should either refrain from exfoliation or use mild moisturising exfoliants such as our Revitalize Daily Peel.
If regular exfoliation is for you . . .
If you decide to include regular exfoliation as part of your routine we recommend to do so two to three times a week, more often than this is not needed.
Regular exfoliation can be achieved with gentle microdermabrasion, as is the case with our Refresh Exfoliating Cleanser which contains microbead scrubbing particles, made from Bamboo stem, which gently removes the dead outer layer of skin. We tested many types of beads looking for something gentle yet effective, natural and no negative impact on the environment and found these beads to be the best. They are not harsh on the skin yet provide an effective form of exfoliation.
Alternatively you can use chemical exfoliation using glycolic acid and salicylic acid as found in our Revitalise Weekly Peel.
Exfoliating with a Peel? Or something more vigorous?
To clarify, regular exfoliation is a little different to using a chemical peel, such as our Revitalise Peels, to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The Revitalize Peels can be used two to three times a week for regular exfoliation as described above to remove dead skin cells or they can be used on a daily basis for more vigorous exfoliation when specifically trying to help improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and skin blemishes.
EXPERT TIP: To exfoliate use a peel or exfoliating scrub two to three times a week. Looking to improve the visibility of fine lines, wrinkles or skin blemishes? Use our peels daily
Nourishing your skin with its natural nourishment: The importance of skin identical ingredients
Your skin care ritual should also include a nourishing, moisturizing and replenishing mixture of skin identical ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, squalene, ceramides, glycerine, fatty acids and wax esters, which are components naturally found in the skin, to moisturize the skin and provide all the necessary natural building blocks for the skin to function and regenerate. In addition necessary vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, nutrients, stem cell extracts and cosmetic peptides should also be present to support, protect and nourish the maintenance of the skin’s matrix such as collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
Moisturizing Myth Busting
Contrary to popular belief moisturizing is really only essential for those with dry skin or under certain circumstances such as dry climate, frequent water exposure, etc. Normal and oily skin types produce sufficient amounts of sebum which supplies more than enough emollient and moisturizing effects. In these skin types poorly selected or misused moisturizers can actually do more harm than good.
For example occlusive moisturizers cover the skin with a waterproof film so water cannot escape. These ingredients include the parafins (mineral oil) and siloxanes (dimethicone, cyclomethicone) which can clog skin pores and produce other unwanted effects. Heavy waxes and oils can also clog your skin pores and should only be used by those with dry skin. We avoid these ingredients in our skin care range.
For these reasons we have carefully chosen the moisturizers used in our skin care range to adequately moisturize most skin types without clogging your skin pores or coating your skin with a barrier.
Keep it simple – the essentials you need to start your new skin love ritual
Our 3R+ Skin Care System has simplified all this for you and was formulated in a way that the range of creams complement each other.
Simply use our cleanser morning and night and chose the appropriate Day and Night cream for your specific needs and you have it all covered in 2 easy steps.
The Day and Night Cream combined will supply everything your skin requires for optimal health and rejuvenation.
If you wish to include regular exfoliation then also use the Refresh Exfoliating Cleanser or Revitalise Weekly Peel twice a week.
Finally protection from excessive ultraviolet light (both UVA and UVB) is also important for any skin care / skin love ritual due to its damaging effects on the skin. This can be achieved by avoiding excess sun light on your face by using hats and sunglasses or applying a good UVA+UVB sunscreen before you go out in the sun.
We are currently in the process of developing a suitable sunscreen which is safe and effective without all the harsh chemicals. Join the mailing list to find out when it is launched.
By following this skin care ritual each day, while honoring the beauty of the essence within your skin cannot but shine.