Let’s Start at the Start: Skincare Basics

To keep your face looking as healthy and youthful as possible, you need to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize while never leaving the house without at least 30 SPF sunscreen. I’ve named this process “The Basic 4-Step Skincare Regimen,” which I outline in this article.

So let’s get that process started by determining what skin type you have: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive, or sun- damaged.

Your skin type is determined by how much — or how little — oil your skin produces. Genes, diet, stress level, medication and even how you care for your skin, all determine how much oil your skin produces.

Here’s how to tell what skin type you have.

Wash your face, pat it dry, then take a few pieces of single-ply tissue paper and press on different spots on your face. If your skin is oily, the paper will stick, picking up the oil and become translucent. If the paper doesn’t stick or pick up any oily spots, your skin is dry. If it sticks in your t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) then you have combination (or normal) skin.
So now let’s look at the five different skin types and their characteristics.

• Type 1: Oily  Oily skin tends to be shiny with larger pores, and is prone to blackheads and blemishes.
• Type 2: Combination/normal  This skin type has medium pores, a smooth and even texture, good circulation, healthy color, may tend toward dryness on the cheeks while being oily in the t-zone.
• Type 3: Sensitive Sensitive skin tends to be thin and delicate with fine pores. It flushes easily, is prone to broken capillaries, and is frequently allergic.
• Type 4: Dry Dry skin feels tight, especially after cleansing. You have a tendency towards fine wrinkles, flaking, and red patches. In people of color, skin may appear ashy or dull from dead skin buildup.
• Type 5: Aging or sun-damaged This skin also feels tight with visible wrinkles, slack skin tone — especially around the cheeks and jawline — with leathery texture and broken capillaries.

Now lets move on to cleaning and maintenance:

The Basic 4

Number 1: Cleansing

Simplicity is key here. You need to find a good cleanser that your skin responds well to, and stick with it. We’ll discuss those at length in a later entry.

Avoid bar soaps like the plague as they tend to dry out the skin. My strict rule is that bar soap should only be used from the neck down. Choose a creamy cleanser if you have dry skin or a clear cleanser if you have oily skin.

You really only need to wash your face at night to remove sunscreen and dirt: both of these can clog pores. In the morning, a quick splash of lukewarm water is all you need to remove the product you use for nightly moisturizing. Never wash your face with hot or cold water (both can easily cause broken capillaries).

Number 2: Exfoliate

Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice a quick and positive change. One of the reasons men’s skin looks more youthful than women’s is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave.

I use a facial scrub twice weekly to exfoliate my skin, but I also find using a washcloth when I cleanse my skin works really well. I simply put a dab of exfoliant/cleanser on a damp washcloth and gently massage the cleanser into my skin in a circular motion. After a quick rinse, any sign of dead skin is erased. You can also go for a deeper exfoliation skin via microdermabrasion and chemical peels, but we’ll get into that later.

If you’re using St. Ives Apricot Scrub, throw that stuff out the window! It’s without a doubt the worst thing you can do for your face. It is composed of ground up and crushed apricot pits that are irregularly shaped, spiky, and the consistency of ground glass. This product creates millions of tiny tears in your skin exposing each pore (even the healthy ones) to the  harmful bacteria that causes acne and general bad skin mojo. Please…for the love of all things holy and good…throw it out! While you’re at it throw out that pastel loofah…

Scrubs work by removing the top layer of dead skin cells that dull your complexion. Like I said, I find that a basic exfoliation of the face skin twice a week is fine. Make sure you use a gentle scrub with tiny grains. Big grains in cheap scrubs can tear skin and cause more harm than good. In a later entry I’ll go over my favorites and what I carry in the studio.

Advanced exfoliations like microdermabrasions and chemical peel, can take off three to five years from your face. They tend to be a bit more of an investment but the results are dramatic and in my humble, yet professional opinion, well worth it. I’ll go into the details of chemical peels and microdermabrasions in a little while.

A big question I get alot is: Should I use a toner? Some people swear by them, but many estheticians don’t. Toners are meant to remove all remaining traces of oil, product, and dirt, but a good cleanser should do this. I really believe it’s up to you. If you like the way your skin feels with a toner. Buy it. Use it. Enjoy it.

Number 3: Moisturize

A basic rule of beauty is that if you have dry skin, you should invest in a basic moisturizer. So how much should you moisturize? It’s pretty simple: When your skin is tight, it needs moisture. Don’t over moisturize as this can easily clog pores. I’ll put up an entry about what moisturizers are my top picks shortly.

Another question I get alot is : Are eye creams really necessary? And I say, well maybe. Some experts strongly recommend eye creams because the skin around the eye contains no fatty tissue which makes it very thin and susceptible to fine wrinkles. Special eye creams are formulated to “thicken” this area. I tend to like a good eye cream as they boost the protection of the area and can help pull moisture into those fine lines and wrinkles. Not something you have to do everyday, but it’s a good extra step.

Number 4: Sunscreen!

The #1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage, so it’s important to use a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF from your early years on even in winter and even on cloudy days. A easy trick is to have two moisturizers on hand: one for day that includes UV protection and one for night that has no UV stuff in it; the ingredients are not meant to be used 24/7 and can clog the pores if left on overnight.

This post was written by Brandon