About a month ago, for our 3rd anniversary, my hubby surprised me with a trip to the spa. I got to choose my treatments, but I had no idea where to start. The woman there advised a massage and basic facial, since I’m in my 20’s, I have basic combination skin, and really wasn’t looking for any specific treatments or anything.
The 45-minute massage was awesome. By the time I got to my facial, I was so stinkin’ relaxed. And then the facial was amazing as well – lots of steam and creams and a little bit of digging through my pores, which wasn’t too bad.
During the facial, the specialist asked me about my skin care regimen, to which I replied, “What skin care regimen?” I’m lucky if I remember to wash my face at night. I’m fortunate enough to have pretty good skin now (it’s my Italian half), but as the specialist gently reminded me, it’s probably good to get some healthy habits in now. Here are the tips she recommended:
1. Washing my face in the morning and at night. Crucial. I can only imagine the kind of bacteria and grime that want to eat up my skin after a long day.
2. Pick the right cleanser. For some reason (ahemMARKETINGSCHEMEahem), I always thought you needed a cleanser, toner, exfoliant, acne-targeted cleanser, etc. (All of the above.) The specialist said that one good cleanser should pack the punch of multiple products, being able to cover all those things. She recommended one with salicylic acid because it gets in there and really cleans pores. I chose Burt’s Bees Peach & Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub, since I’m trying to go the clean route, and willow bark is a natural source of salicylic acid.
3. Moisturize. My skin gets oily in my t-zone, and dry around the edges. I always justified not moisturizing by thinking that I was oily enough already. The specialist, however, said that by not moisturizing, my skin overcompensates and produces more oil. I really like Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion. I’ve also started using Acure Organic Argan Oil, a miracle product that not only moisturizes and smoothes lines on your face, it also tames frizziness in your hair! Bonus.
4. Protect. Another of my faulty logic was thinking I only needed sunscreen at the beach. But you actually should sunscreen daily to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. A good moisturizer can include this.
5. Treat yourself to a facial now and then. Maybe it was a shameless plug, but I did end up agreeing. A facial will clear out clogged pores and give you a fresh start every now and then.
That was about it! Pretty simple for maintaining good skin. Now, to actually follow it…kidding. I’ve been doing a lot better.
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