How to Apply Skin Care Products

What really creates beautiful skin?

In my last post, I mentioned how I am an Esthetician turned Holistic Health Practitioner, slightly obsessed with skin. What makes it beautiful, what harms it, and what to do to bring out peoples best.

I get asked all of the time what skin care line is best and most effective.

Through years of testing product lines from the highest end ($200 for an ounce of cream!) to natural DIY ingredients, I have found what truly creates the skin you want.

Read this post to find out.

So, do you really get what you pay for? Are the expensive skin care lines more effective than cheaper ones?

In my opinion, no.

If you focus on:

1. Nutritional Therapy
2. Detox
3. Sun Protection
4. Special Face Treatments
5. Thoughts/Stress

Your at home skin care can be minimal and inexpensive.

I still get sucked into buying new products every now and again because there are so many up and coming natural non-toxic skin care companies popping up, but I have found what works for me and I thought I would share it with you.

My Skin Care Routine

My best natural skincare routine consists of the same steps, but I like to switch up the products to give my skin variety healing ingredients (natural and inexpensive ones).

My Routine:

• cleanse
• tone
• serum
• moisturize/oils
• exfoliate/mask a few times a week

Some days I just cleanse and moisturize, and most mornings I just tone and moisturize, but I like to go through each step at night.

Why This Routine? How to Apply Skin Care Products

For those of you interested in a little skin care 101. . .

This is a great order to apply skin your skin care products as well as what to look for. . .

1. Cleanse: Prepares your skin for the toner and moisturizer. If your pores are still clogged when you apply the following products, it prevents them from being properly absorbed. It’s important to find a gentle cleanser that doesn’t strip away the skins natural barrier.
2. Tone: Shrinks pores, restores the skin’s pH after cleansing, preps skin for moisturizer, and can add an extra layer of hydration. Avoid old alcohol-based toners as they are incredible drying and can damage the outer layer of the skin.
3. Serum: I like hyaluronic acid and vitamin c for added hydration and anti-oxidants to stimulate cellular rejuvenation.
4. Moisturize: All skin needs hydration, even oily skin can be caused by dehydration. I like to moisturize with oils because they sink right into the skin, it’s like food for your body. Many oils mimic the natural lipids found in our skin. The similarities in structure can help repair and reregulate your skin’s moisture barrier. Research shows that when these oils are absorbed by the skin, the top layers of our skin treat them as their own—resulting in a reparative, moisturized effect.
5. Exfoliate/Mask: Only a few times per week. Apply mask or exfoliator right after cleansing. It’s most effective if you place a warm towel over your face for a minute first to open up your pores to allow the ingredients to really work.

Examples

This post is more so about some steps you can follow with your own products, but I will share a few I have been using as an example.

Cleanse:

• Dead Sea Mud Soap Bar 
• White Seaweed Cleanser
• Liquid Cleansing
• Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soap – Baby
• Makeup Eraser Cloth (how I take makeup off)

Tone

• Apple Cider Vinegar Toner (easy DIY 1 part ACV to 2 parts water)
• Eco Tan
• Thayers Alcohol-free Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera
• Rose Water Facial Toner

Serum

• Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid
• Vitamin C Serum with Konjac Root, Hyaluronic Acid, and Ferulic Acid

Moisturize

I only use oils to moisturize, sometimes my tallow lotion if my skin is really dry but mostly just one of these oils. I always put essential oils in my oil.

• My DIY Oil Moisturize Mixture with essential oils (what I use most often)
• Argan Oil
• Jojoba Oil
• Tamanu Oil
• Emu
• Tallow
• For really dry skin and prefer a lotion, this is a great cream: Weleda Skin Food

Each one of these oils is incredible for your skin, which is why I like to rotate. Go ahead and try them out and see what your skin thrives on!

Body Lotion

• Everyone Lotion
• Authentic Shea Butter
• Any oil mentioned above

article: Which Essential Oil Company is Best?

Exfoliate/Masks

• Healing Clay
• Brightening Face Mask

My Two Favorite DIY Skin Care Staples

• Oil Moisturizer
• Tallow Lotion

Give these steps a try and let me know how it goes!