Healthy Skin Care: Toner

 

Toners are one of the most misunderstood components of a healthy skin care routine.  Some people think that they don’t do anything, and some think that only people with acne need it to “dry” out their pimples.  It is confusing, but I am going to try to separate the fact from the fiction on this, and show you why toner should be in everyone’s skin care kit.

Toners are often lumped into the same category as astringents, even though they function completely differently.  Traditionally, an astringent is made up of alcohols, and other such ingredients to “shrink “the pores and dry up acne.  Perhaps some of you remember Bonnie Bell, or Seabreeze—these astringents felt bracing and stung when they went on, so we assumed they were doing what we were told.  Fortunately, cosmetic science has come a long way, and we now know that it is (currently) physiologically impossible to shrink the size of a pore by using an astringent, or toner.  We also know that alcohols strip the skin’s surface of it’s natural lipids (or barrier layer), and causes photosensitivity.  This paves the way to premature aging of the skin, and an increased susceptibility to sun damage.  As a skin care professional, I cannot, and do not recommend astringents for facial care, for anyone; I see no up side.

Toners are a different story.  There are all different types of toners, some terrific, some are just astringents being called “toner.”  As always, really look at the ingredients in your product.  If an alcohol is listed as one of the first few ingredients, you are probably looking at an astringent.  If it is near, or at the end of the list, it is probably a component of the preservative, and fraction of a percent of active ingredient. 

Typically, an effective toner will contain highly concentrated ingredients that will benefit, hydrate and nourish the skin.  Most toners have the consistency of a thin liquid, which makes it possible to penetrate the skin’s surface more easily than a cream, thereby delivering the ingredients more efficiently.  And this is the root reason for my love-affair with toner—if used effectively, toners make it possible for the performance ingredients in your serums, moisturizes, masques, and spot treatments to work more successfully.

Here is how to make your toner work for you. 

1.     Make sure you choose a toner that has ingredients appropriate for your skin type.

2.     Look to see if the toner is in a spray bottle, or if you need to put it on cotton first (see note below).

3.     Close eyes, and apply a fine mist over entire face and neck.

4.     Important: while toner is still damp, apply the next step of your skin care routine.

5.     Re-apply during the day, whenever your skin needs a boost in hydration.

Note:  If a toner is in a spray bottle, you can be reasonably assured that there is little or no alcohol in the product.  If the toner has no spray bottle, it does not necessarily mean that it has alcohol in it, it just means you need to check the label carefully.  If you do need to apply with cotton, place a thin coat all over face a neck, then proceed as directed above.

You can expect to read more about toners in future posts, but as a component of your baseline skin care routine, please understand that toner is the workhorse—it makes all your other product work more effectively.

Healthy Skin Care: Cleansing

Yesterday, I talked about creating a skin care routine that not only cleans your skin, but also creates the perfect baseline for healthy skin.  This basic routine has only 4 components to help your skin get back to it's natural starting point, and to break down any barriers that are preventing your performance products from working.  To recap, the four components are 1). Cleanse, 2). Tone, 3). Moisturizer, and 4). Sunscreen.  Today, I am going to go over the first step, cleansing.

Cleansing 101

A cleanser is a product primarily formulated to gently but thoroughly clean the skin.  Most often, you will find cleansers to be in a gel, cream or milky form.  Occasionally, a manufacturer will create a cleansing bar, which may be in the form of soap, but is not “soap.” The ingredients in soap tend to be harsh on facial skin.

Some manufacturers create their product to do more than just cleanse.  They may include ingredients to exfoliate, hydrate, or even reduce sensitivity.  It is beneficial to find a quality product that does double duty, but know your ingredients--some multi-functional cleansing products are worthless.  There is a book that I recommend to help you navigate the world of ingredient information called  "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients," by Ruth Winter

Before you spend one more dollar on a skin care product, find out what skin type you are, and only purchase those products that are made for your type—regardless of what the product claims.  Seriously, who hasn’t been sucked in by advertising that targets our perceived week spots, only to end up having a reaction to the product, or discovering that it was completely ineffective for us?  I know I have.  Here is a link to a skin type quiz (of which I am not affiliated in anyway).  I do not endorse or not-endorse the products on this site, however the quiz results tend to be pretty accurate.  If you don’t already know (for sure) what your skin type is, go ahead and take the quiz now—I’ll wait.

Once you know what your over-all skin type is, you can design your baseline skin care routine around the needs of your skin.  As a (very) general overview, the label on the cleanser should say what skin type it was designed for.  If it doesn’t say anything specific, here is a (very) general guideline for matching the cleanser to skin type:

Normal/Combination Skin:  Gel based, milky or creamy cleansers.
Oily Skin:  Gel based, cleansing bars, even clay-based cleansers.

Dry/Dehydrated/Aging: Creamy, or milky cleansers.
Sensitive: Gel, creamy, or milky, but must be formulated for sensitized skin.

Acne:  Gel based, clay based, or milky if formulated to address acne.

Now that you have found the proper cleanser for your skin type, study the ingredients, and make sure it is beneficial for your skin.  If so, proceed to cleanse your face by using the following techniques, two times a day:

1.     Get your face damp with warm (not hot) water.

2.     Apply a quarter-sized dollop of cleanser on you hands, and rub together to emulsify.

3.     Place the cleanser on your forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, and neck.

4.     Starting with your neck, using your hands, make small circular movements in an upward direction, all the way to the top of your forehead. Try to do this for a full minute.

5.     Rinse completely with warm water, and repeat the process one more time.  Yes, if you want to get the most benefit, repeat this process twice. It is what the pro’s do.

6.     A second technique that you could use instead, and that I highly recommend, is to use the Cairsonic Mia, instead of your hands.  This is an ultrasonic facial brush that completely cleans your skin with out being abrasive, or drying.  To learn more about this tool, click here.

Now that you have completed the first step in your baseline routine, your skin it perfectly prepared for all the benefits that come with toning.  Tune in tomorrow to learn more.

As always, if this post brought up any questions for you, please feel free to comment below, or email us directly.

 

Healthy Skin Care: a.k.a “Baseline Routine”

      Billions of dollars are spent every year on skin care products and cosmetics in an effort to “fix” or cover up some type of skin issue.  Each month we open up the pages of a magazine, and get bombarded with advertisements selling “the-next-greatest-skin-care-technology.” It’s easy to get sucked into these ads—“hmmmmm, maybe that is the product that is going to make my skin fresh looking again.” Unless you have a solid, daily routine, it is likely that you will spend the money, and not get the results you seek.

     As a Medical Esthetician, I typically see people who “have tried everything” and are still not getting the results they want.  After a very thorough assessment, we usually discover that the foundation of their routine is not effective; therefore the products they are using are less effective, and or completely ineffective.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend $45-$75 on a hydrating serum if the active ingredients will never get to the cells they are intended to affect.

     So here it is, the baseline routine to pave the way for better skin. I will go into each component more completely during the week, but for now, here is the formula (my “prescription” if you will):

Two times a day:

1.     Cleanse

2.     Tone

3.     Moisturize

4.     Sunscreen (sunscreen should not be worn at night, however, it should be reapplied often during the day if you are outside a lot.  If you are in an office all day, you still need to apply it in the morning—more on that later).

      That’s it. That is the most basic routine that can improve your skin, and keep it healthy.  Tomorrow I will start to be more specific with each part of the routine.  Until then, follow the routine tonight, eat healthy food, drink a lot of water, and get a good night’s rest—your skin will love you for it!