Medical Grade Skin Care
My Summer Routine
My sweet mama, Dolly, taught me early on that I needed to take good care of my skin.
When I was a young teenager, I learned to wash my face every night and every morning. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that my skin’s needs change as the seasons change. Since summer is right around the corner, let’s do a little seasonal update on my favorite medical grade skincare. If you check back on my winter routine, you’ll see some of the same products. Why mess up a good thing though? If it’s working, it’s working. The winter products are all about hydration. The summer products are still about hydration but also need to balance out excess oil and the effects of being outdoors. I’m one of those lucky people (not) that get an extremely shiny forehead in the summer. I used to waste money on oil control products for acne prone skin. I’ve since realized that those products just dry me out and strip my skin of its precious natural oils. Those natural oils create a barrier that protects my skin from environmental toxins. And, how frustrating is it to use every oil control product out there to end up with more and more oil and more and more breakouts? It took years for me to realize I was going about this the wrong way. I still need to hydrate my skin because stripping it just makes it rev up its engines and overproduce oil – thus the shiny forehead. So, I never miss a day of hydrating after cleansing. The products I use for hydration are much lighter for the summer.
My morning routine is slightly different than the night routine. In the summer, I bring out the heavy hitters like retinol and glycolic acid. Retinol and glycolic acid products need to only be used at night because they may cause your skin to burn more easily. Also, your skin is regenerating and rejuvenating at night while you sleep so you want to give it a little boost with these key products. A word of caution though, take it slow if you add these two powerful products.
Summer Morning
1. In the mornings, I like to use an organic cleanser by Eminence called Mangosteen. It smells really nice! Its key ingredients are mangosteen (think strawberries, peaches and lychee), lactic acid, ribose and red clover flower extract. It lathers up nicely and my skin feels clean, fresh and soft afterwards. The lactic acid complex gently resurfaces the skin and refines pores for a more luminous glow.
2. I then use Thayers cucumber toner to clean off any residue and keep my skin calm. This toner is very refreshing and it moisturizes the skin so definitely give it a try. It removes toxins while hydrating the skin. Thayers uses a proprietary blend of aloe vera and non-distilled witch hazel that is grown exclusively for Thayers on a family farm in Connecticut. They are able to preserve the naturally-occurring tannins which offer antioxidant benefits to the skin. Seriously, you should give it a try!
3. I then like to use ultimate rejuvenating eye treatment with cucumber for the delicate undereye area and around my lips. The cucumber is cooling and helps to reduce puffiness. This was my first medical grade skincare product and I’m in love with it. Salameh Skin Care has a really great line of skin care products. They have a skin care analysis on their website that may help you find products appropriate for your skin care needs. I also like Alastin Restorative Eye Treatment and switch back and forth between the two products.
4. The next step is a glow serum that contains Vitamins B, C and E + Ferulic + HA and I started really noticing overall improvement in my complexion when I started using it. It has evened out some of the discoloration and melasma and has made it possible for me to stop using foundation altogether. I find that my pores are smaller and my skin just looks healthy and glows. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly product, The Ordinary has a serum with Vitamin C called Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution.
5. This product is followed by a hyaluronic acid cream. I use this one and this one is really great too.
6. Next I use my beloved Elta MD Clear Sunscreen. I love this sunscreen because it will not block my pores and it blends nicely with my other products. Have you ever noticed that some SPFs resurface if you get a little sweaty? This one doesn’t do that - it is white coming out of the bottle, but it is clear and stays clear after application.
7. I then use this tinted moisturizer with SPF instead of foundation. I also really love Elta MD’s Tinted SPF. The use of back-to-back sunscreens may seem a little like overkill, but if I left off the sunscreen, then I’d never hit my neck and chest and that is absolutely critical.
8. I end my skin care routine with a dusting of Bentonite Clay Powder for my setting powder before putting on my eye makeup. Bentonite Clay Powder is also great used as a mask. It draws out impurities and toxins and leaves the skin feeling soft and hydrated.
TIP: When applying any type of product around your eyes, use your ring finger. That finger applies the least amount of pressure and is the best one to use around the delicate eye area.
TIP: Use the back of your hand as a palette for your skin care products. Then rub any leftover products into the backs of your hands. They need some love too! And give them a little slather of sunscreen to protect them from the sun while you’re at it.
Summer Night
