How to Naturally Care for Your Face: An Esthetician's Top Tips

 

Nicole: How has your biology and medical esthetician background played into your esthetician practices?
Kim: My background has helped me because I have a better understanding of how the overall health of the body plays a major role in skin health and vice versa.  If your body is not healthy it can show in the skin.  Additionally, if the skin is not healthy it can be attributed to poor gut health. You need to know that the skin is the largest organ of the body and how you treat your skin will hugely affect your overall body health.If your skin isn’t healthy, it can’t excrete what it needs to. 

Nicole:What do you consider the most important part of a skin care routine?
Kim: CONSISTENCY! Be consistent in using your product and stick to your skin care regimen. Don’t give up on product or regimen before it has time to work. Also, know that samples of products are intended to let you feel and see the product, and to see if you have any allergies or reactions to the product. They are not intended for you to see a product's full performance. 

Nicole: So what is the difference between facial skin and body skin?
Kim: The biggest difference is the thickness of the skin.  The skin on the body has layers of fat that the face does not have.  Additionally, there are many more sebaceous glands on the face than on the body. This explains why areas need to be treated differently. 

Nicole: Why are facials important? 
Kim: Facials are ideal for deep cleansing and treating problem areas (like clearing out compacted pores, etc.). They are the foundation for change, like a good deep cleaning. And they are the advanced skin care that helps keep your skin stay fresh. A facial improves the tone, texture, and radiance of the skin.  This is done by using several modalities that are not available to non-licensed persons.  For example, the ability to cleanse and exfoliate the skin deeper to aid in the cellular turnover to produce healthy skin cells.  This aids in treating the skin in ways that affect acne, aging, hyperpigmentation and so much more. 
 
Nicole: What is a common mistake you see in people’s skin care routines?
Kim: Most people OVER EXFOLIATE. You shouldn’t be exfoliating more than 2-3x a week (so definitely not everyday). What tends to happen is that people think they see a problem area and they over treat it (with exfoliation, products, etc). Our worst dermatologist is ourselves. Oh, and another common problem is people not cleansing their face at night. Skin care is actually the most important at night because during sleep our body is at rest and that is when rejuvenation happens.Good skin care at night gives you a better reflection in the morning.
 
Nicole: Speaking of maintaining good skin, how should we take care of our skin between facials?
Kim: Stick to a daily routine. A good routine involves cleansing, treating problem areas, exfoliation 2-3x a week and hydration. When cleansing your face, make sure and activate the skin. Massage it with a washcloth for a minute or two to help promote blood flow. Another way to activate the skin on your face in jade rolling [more on that in a couple questions]
 

Nicole: What about ingredients, which ingredients do you recommend avoiding?
Kim: Definitely AVOID using products that have a high quantity of parabens. I think it’s also important to know what sensitivities and allergies you have— from food to chemicals. Don’t forget to look at fragrance.
 
Nicole: Knowing more about what is in our skin care has been a big industry trend lately. What are your thoughts on the industry growing more in the direction of green beauty?
Kim: I think it’s so important that the beauty and skin care industry continues to move towards clean beauty that is more green (and void of dangerous and synthetic chemicals) because so many skin care concerns are caused by chemicals currently in our skin care products (lotions, make-up, perfumes, moisturizers, cleansers) and in our environment.
 
Nicole: Any tips on how to take care of sensitive skin?
Kim: Know what you are sensitive to! Know what ingredients work for your face. Avoid chemical fragrance. Don’t over-exfoliate. [These washcloths are perfect for a gentle cleanse + our unscented soap]
 
Nicole:What about tips for aging skin?
Kim: HYDRATION!!! Water on the inside and moisturizer on the outside.
 
Nicole: What are your thoughts on the more current beauty trends like ayurvedic skin care and jade rolling?
Kim: I think most beauty trends have something good to offer. Remember, there’s no such thing as a “magic bullet”, so a new skin care practice isn’t going to 100% work for every single person. It’s good to try and see what works for YOUR skin and YOUR life. With the ayervedic skin care, I love the push to look at natural ingredients. I think there is a lot there to try. But remember, just because they are natural, it doesn’t mean the ingredients aren’t potent, so make sure you know what you’re putting on your skin. I do really like jade rolling, but again, there is a science behind knowing HOW to use it and WHEN to use it. (There are some great tutorials on YouTube)
 
Nicole: Any last words of wisdom/ skin care hacks?
Kim:Don’t forget to cleanse your face of sunscreen at night. As we move towards the warmer months, it’s so important to remember to wash off sunscreen at the end of the day so that your skin can breath. Also, make sure you clean off your phone screen regularly so that you’re not putting bacteria up to your face every time you talk on your phone.

 
To learn more about Kim and Prestige Spa, you can check her out on Facebook here. I absolutely loved learning so much from this chat, and can’t wait to learn more! If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below and will get you some answers!