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Today I sat down with Pearl from Cameo Beauty to talk about her Top 5 recommendations to having healthy glowing skin.
Pearl and I met a few years ago. She was my beauty therapist who then became my close friend and client. During a few of my classes Pearl has shared a few random things here and there about skin care and how to even bump up your natural SPF by eating dark chocolate (3 spares to be exact). Isn't that amazing and random haha. So I thought it would be a great idea to get her on a blog to share her Top 5 Tips for healthy skin with the rest of us!
Importance of Sunscreen
Contact Dermatitis
Congestion prevention
Eye cream tips and tricks
Over Exfoliation
Now I am going to start with the simple ones first then work my way down to the ones that require more in-depth explanations.
We all know sunscreen is important but do you really know how important it is?
Turns out you should wear sunscreen everyday of the year regardless of whether you work in direct sun or not. UV rays come from lights, computers, cell phones and Tv's. Broad spectrum UVA + UVB protection - think UVA = Ageing ( into the skin destroying collagen production - mutating cells) UVB = Burning ( topical skin surface)
90% of ageing is due to environmental damage. Compare the complexion of your face or chest to somewhere that isn't exposed to the sun. Eg. inner arm. That is what your skin could be like without environmental damage and inflammation.
So when you wake up tomorrow make sure to put on your sunscreen. I know I will be!
Do you know what contact dermatitis is? I didn't until today!
Contact dermatitis preservatives are found in liquid cosmetics, personal care, cleaning products and laundry liquid. It will linger in clothes and cause the skin irritation. It is an aggressive chemical exfoliant which breaks down the skins protective layer. This chemical is most commonly known as Methylisothiazolinone and/or Benzlisothiazolinone. Another aggressive chemical found in most foaming or soap type products that strips away the skin is Sodium Laurel Sulphate.
It is best for your skin to stay clear of these products! Have a look at the products you are using right now. What is in them? Next time you go to buy a new product make sure to check the ingredients. Pearl also gave an amazing tip on how to strip your laundry of chemicals if you need to change your laundry detergent! Use one cup of white vinegar in your next wash to strip the chemicals from your clothing.
Do you struggle with congestion?
Do you have lots of pimples and blackheads?
(This was why I paid for professional facials)
This tip is for you! HYDRATE! We all know water floats oil. Well our pimples and blackheads are oil secretions trapped in the pores.
Think of a candle on the bottom of the bath tub with no water that candle is stuck on the bottom not moving. Now if you fill the bath with water the candle will float to the top. This is an example of how hydration improves how well your oils flow through your skin!
Hydrate by = no exfoliation! Drink more water, use hydrating serums and moisturisers.
Improve your oil secretions by = Taking an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement or getting EFA's through your food. By increasing your EFA intake will make the secretions softer and flow faster.
Do you use eye cream?
Did you know you can use eye cream on other parts of your face?
Your eyes and lips are the same skin so you can use your eye creams on the oral areas. Such as fine lines, wrinkles and irritations. So save your money and use your eye cream on your fine lines!
Now for our last tip of the day we will be talking about OVER exfoliation!
Did you know that was a thing?
Did you know that you don't actually have to exfoliate? In an optimal functioning skin, your cell turnover does all the exfoliation you need. Think of the skin like a dense native New Zealand forest. At the top you have lots of sun. You have big tall trees that grow above everything forming a bushy layer to protect the lower plants from direct sun light. If the sun was to get through this layer it would ruin the perfect growing conditions below. (This canopy is the top layer of your skin). Below the bushy tree tops we have a dark, cool, damp environment for all the plants to grow in. These plants represent the structures (cells) we have in our skin. If everything were able to get through the bushy tree tops they would change the lower environment from its optimal conditions. Microbes - bacteria that were kept out by the bushy layer are now free to head deeper into the skin causing havoc. Say hello to pimples, redness, pigmentation, advanced ageing and so much more!
With this the next effect we see is down in where the trees roots are . We have a certain cell in the deepest part of our skin called the langerhans cell. He is your immune defence. Think of him as an octopus with big long stretchy arms that come out of the soil when the environment is optimal. He cleans any debris, microbes, bacteria, inflammation etc. But when the bushy tree tops aren't protecting the forest (Its lower layers) he politely says "Fuck this" and bury himself deeper into the soil. The only way to get him back to do his job is by feeding him or returning environment to optimal standards.
What is the point of this comparison? Well, exfoliation is like using a chainsaw and cutting all the bushy tree tops off ruining the perfect protection layer which would then send the rest of the forest into disharmony.
If you don't exfoliate this layer of the skin off, you will have what we call a barrier protecting you from outside environment.
ONE LAST VERY IMPORTANT NOTE FROM PEARL HERSELF
"St Ives apricot scrub is the thing of my nightmares. If you own this burn it!"
I would like to take a moment just to thank Pearl from Cameo for her collaboration with me on this post. I don't have the experience or knowledge in this topic so I reached out to Pearl to share her knowledge with us all and I am so glad I did. If you are wanting a new beauty therapist Pearl is amazing!
I look forward to explore my client's knowledge and collaborating with them more over my blog in the future.
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