Lifestyle
May 25, 2018

Skin 101

A little skin 101 …..

Well this could certainly turn out to be racy. I mean your personal skincare however. I’m often stopped by complete strangers in public about my skin. Everyone from the esthetician that gets close and personal with my pores to the check out girl at Trader Joe’s who once reached back out and rubbed my arm ( I’m not even slightly joking) comments on my skin. While I’m sure some of it must be genetics, I think there is a lot to be said for taking care of your skin. Start young, the best skincare is the preventative type rather than years down the road trying to repair the damage. Not that both can’t be effective, it’s just easier to start today rather than tomorrow.

Water:

First thing’s first. You have to drink water, stop hating it and love it. I drink so much water, there are usually 3-5 glasses of water scattered throughout my bedroom at any given moment. I sleep with it next to me, I wake up with it next to my computer and I usually trail a glass around the house as I migrate from room to room when I’m home. Being at work or on the go is no excuse either. I travel a lot …no really a lot. That airplane recycled air will kill your skin faster than an arctic winter, so skip the soda and buy a large bottled water instead, in fact get two. When you’re home and out on the town fill a glass bottle to the brim and tote it around with you. Get a large one for your car and a smaller one for your purse (glass bottles). You will be surprised how your subconscious will quickly adjust to wanting water when you have it on hand. I can tell if someone drinks a lot of water or not just by looking at their skin. Water gives your skin a healthy glow that just isn’t achievable through make up. No matter how dewy the foundation, water will still win. I’ve seen it in myself and in my friends, how a lack of water will dry you out. All the fine lines that have been dying to show themselves will start to pop up, and you’ll likely get little patches of bumps. I’ve had friends freak out thinking they’re getting acne, or an out break of pimples, dry patches, etc… but really it’s just your body trying to tell you it’s dehydrated.

Fitness:

Work out! Sweat! Get in the sauna! Your skin needs to sweat in order to release toxins and impurities. It’ll give you a nice red flush that shows your blood cells are going into overtime, which is good for you. Plus you have all the added benefits of being healthy. As we age we lose muscle tone and this loss of definition will later on cause wrinkles and skin damage you can easily avoid by getting up off your butt, and out into the world. You don’t have to join a gym to be healthy either. Join a sport, take dance classes, hike, run on the beach, try yoga, Soul Cycle, or meet my spirit animal Tracy Anderson. You don’t have to join her posh NYC and LA locations to gain all her workout benefits, amazon.com and her website will deliver the Tracy Method to your door and you can sweat it out in the privacy of your own home. Check her out:  http://www.tracyanderson.com      ( you’re welcome by the way)

Skin Care:

Now this is where beauty blogs often get tricky. I can tell you all of my skin care fav’s but that might not do you one single ounce of good, because lets face it…we’re most likely not the same skin type. I have normal to sensitive skin, with no dry and no oily tendencies. I’m unnatural I know. HOWEVER! I do have friends who suffer from too much oil or not enough, and I can tell you how I’ve helped them out. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into researching skincare, and how and why skin reacts in so many different ways. If you’re oily stop taking all the oil out of your skin with matte this, and alcohol that. You’re making your skin crazy! If you completely strip oily skin of it’s oils it’s going to go into overdrive and produce 2x the amount it normally would. What you have to do is get a light skin oil, like Josie Maran’s argan oil and add a little to your beauty routine. If you’re uncomfortable trying it during the day for fear of being too oily add it to your nightly routine. Trust me, adding oil to your oily skin will make it produce less. It sounds crazy but it’s true. The same isn’t true for dry skin, you just have to add oil. Try it both day and night, and if you’re really dry then make time in the middle of your day to spritz on a touch up to keep a glow going. You will see a difference, you just have to create a routine that works for you and stick to it. Scientists say it takes 21 days to form a habit. So pick a day and begin, you won’t be sorry and it will become second nature.