Tag Archive for: Anti-Aging

Winterize Your Skin Care Routine

Winter is upon us, and as temperatures and humidity levels drop, it is important to have your winter regimen on deck. Whether you live in a freezing cold climate or a mild balmy one, skin needs more hydration during the winter months. With just a few minor adjustments and additions you will be able to ensure a dewy, glowing complexion all winter long.

The truth about winter:

  • Humidity levels drop
  • Hot showers dry skin out
  • Covering your face with a scarf (or a mask) will help protect against environmental elements like wind, snow and sun.
  • Oil is a friend to your skin
  • Hydration after bathing is imperative for soft, healthy skin
  • Switching your regimen up is a good thing

6 THINGS TO TRY THIS WINTER SEASON

Be Cool

Invest in a humidifier. Humidity levels drop during the winter months, which can lead to dry skin, eyes, hair, nails static hair and nosebleeds. Add in artificial heat and you don’t stand a chance!  A humidifier will add humidity back into the air, helping to reverse some of the damage. Cool vapor is the best bet to not only feeling better but looking better too. We recommend leaving it on all the time so that your home maintains an even level of humidity, but if that is not possible, at least sleep with it on!

Bottoms Up

Staying hydrated from the inside out is crucial to maintain glowing and hydrated skin. Increase your liquid ingestion during the winter. Think teas, water, green juice and healthy soups. Watch your caffeine and alcohol intake as both are diuretics causing your body to create more urine and thus dehydrating you.

No hot showers

Hot water removes more moisture and oil from the skin than cool or warm showers. Hot water can also irritate skin, cause redness and aggregate already sensitive skin and rashes. Try to take warm showers instead of steamy hot ones. If you’re thinking a hot shower will feel good after a brutally cold day, a good trick is to turn the shower on very hot and let the bathroom steam up. Then step inside the bathroom and get warm. Then turn the shower back down to a warm temperature. Hot water will dry skin out more.

In the Buff

Always apply your body serum, moisturizer or oil to damp skin. This will allow the skin to capture and seal in moisture. Don’t forget those extra dry areas (hands, feet & elbows).

Switch it Up

Take a look at your cleansing and exfoliation regimen. If you’re an exfoliation junkie particularly with physical scrubs, decrease the frequency of use during the winter. Instead try a chemical exfoliator 1-2 times a week, like our Fresh-A-Peel. If you live in a very cold or dry climate 1 day a week may be plenty.  On the other days, a gentle cleanser will be just fine.

Try trading your Retinol product for a serum loaded with a medley of supercharged ingredients to attack pollution and provide superior antioxidant protection. Superstar ingredients like Ferulic Acid, which increases the blood flow of superficial tissues, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), which reduces the appearance of brown spots and boosts collagen production while reducing inflammation, Vitamin B, which increases the production of ceramides and fatty acids (two important components of the skin’s outer protective barrier and Vitamin E, which increases overall hydration to the skin while aiding in healing. All found in our multi-functioning Brightening Elixir Serum.

Try adding an oil into your winter regimen to get extra hydration and protection. Look for plant-based, cold-pressed, pure oils, such as Baobob, Kalahari, Mongogo and Marula, which all contain Vitamin A, C, E and essential fatty acids and omegas. Our Fleuressence Native Botanical Oil offers all these and more.

Don’t forget your lips

Chapped lips are a serious issue during the winter for many people. As with your winter skincare regimen, the lips need a winter plan too. Did you know that the lips are the driest place on the body? The lips do not have sebaceous glands or sweat glands. Here are a few tips to get ahead of the game.

  1. Sleep with a humidifier on as this adds humidity to the air (hydration)!
  2. Gently exfoliate the lips with a lip scrub or warm water and washcloth.
  3. Wear an SPF on the lips. UV rays are still prevalent during the winter months.
  4. Do not lick, bite or pick your lips.
  5. Stay hydrated. Humidity drops during the winter so drink fluids and lots of water.
  6. Cover up! If it’s windy or cold wear a scarf around your mouth and nose area.
  7. Be on the lookout for our highly anticipated lip treatment launching this Spring!
by
,

How to Care for Your Skin in the Digital Age

By Kaitlyn McLintock

Here’s a fun (read: frightening) activity. Sit back and add up the amount of time you spend working on your computer on any given day. Take that number and add the amount of time you spend on your phone. Add any remaining screen time, including but not limited to Netflix binges, online shopping, and time spent scrolling through news sites. The number you end up represents how long your skin is being exposed to potentially damaging light emitted from digital devices. This high energy visible light (HEV light), otherwise referred to as blue light, could be affecting the health of your skin in more ways than one.

Research tells us that blue light can cause skin damage. More specifically, it can cause hyperpigmentation and premature signs of aging. It causes the former by inducing inconsistent melanin production in the skin. It causes the latter by exposing your cells to oxidative stress, or free radicals, which damage the collagen in your skin, leading to such signs of aging as fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin.

That’s the bad news, but there’s good news, too. There are steps you can take to minimize the effect of blue light. From keeping an eye on your screen time to using antioxidant-rich skincare products, keep reading to learn more about how to care for your skin in the digital age.

Reduce Screen Time (If You Can)

The first and most obvious step in protecting your skin from an exorbitant amount of blue light exposure is to minimize your screen time. Even though that’s not always feasible when it comes to professional life (especially if, due to recent events, your laptop has become your office), there are ways to stay conscious of the time you’re spending on screens for other reasons. For example, limit time spent scrolling through social media to a few minutes each day. Track your screen time on your phone. Schedule screen-free time in your calendar, so you feel the freedom to walk away from your computer for a specific amount of time. At the very least, switch your phone display to night shift, which minimizes the amount of blue light it emanates.

Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Sleep

Because there’s evidence that blue light disrupts our natural circadian rhythm (aka our sleep-wake cycle), it’s important to prioritize sleep, especially if you’re spending most of your day staring at a screen. After all, research links sleep deprivation with acceleration in physical signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. Sleep deprivation could also harm our skin’s natural reparative processes, meaning damage and inflammation could ensue from not getting enough shut-eye.

Load Up on Antioxidant Protection

We’ve already discussed how blue light exposes your skin to oxidative stress, or free radicals, which can damage collagen and lead to physical signs of aging. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from damaging the skin, which is the reason antioxidant-rich ingredients are so prevalent in blue light skincare products.

The efficacy of antioxidant-rich skincare is exactly why Dr. Goldfaden formulated the Mist Rx Daily Nutrient Face Mist with aloe vera, kale sprout water, Kakadu plum, and plant & fruit stem cells—all of which have antioxidant properties to fight free radical damage, thus mitigating the harmful effects of blue light on our skin.

While these blue-light-blocking tactics are all worth practicing, it’s important to note that our main source of blue light exposure is from the sun (and no, sunscreen won’t necessarily protect your skin. Remember that sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB rays, not HEV…). This is something to keep in mind, lest we panic and blame our ceaseless Zoom meetings for damaging our skin beyond repair. It’s likely that our skin is happy and healthy if we remain conscious of our health and lifestyle habits, focus on getting good, quality sleep, nourish our skin with the right protective skincare products, and schedule regular check-ins with a dermatologist.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Kaitlyn McLintock is a beauty and wellness writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in such publications as Popsugar, Byrdie, Hello Giggles, Who What Wear, and more. When she’s not writing, researching, and editing, or testing out the latest skincare and makeup products, she’s drinking coffee and spritzing Goldfaden’s Mist RX all over her skin.

by
,

Real Clinical, Radiant Results with Hélène Heath

Name: Hélène Heath

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Age: over 30 🙃

 

Tell us a little about yourself…

I’m a freelance content creator and writer with a penchant for all things style, beauty, food, and travel. I’m originally from Canada but have lived in NYC for almost 10 years with my sidekick, Wally, a mini Australian Shepherd, and my husband. You can find me on Instagram at @heleneisfor, where I share my daily musings on all things aesthetic.

What are your bodycare goals? 

To keep my skin hydrated, first and foremost. This becomes all the more important as we age! Hydrated skin is healthy skin, both in terms of feeling and appearance. 

Do you have any specific body skin concerns? 

There are areas on my skin that could use a whole lot of extra love: roughness, granular appearance, clogged pores, creasing, loss of elasticity… Mostly around my ankles/top of my feet, around my knees, on my stomach, and decolleté. 

What do you look for when creating a bodycare routine? 

For me, it’s more about function than anything. I’m always trying to find the most effective products for my concerns so that I can remedy them, versus making every shower a spa moment. I sadly don’t have time for that!

First thoughts when trying the Bodycare Regimen:

1st week…

The appearance of my skin hadn’t really changed after the first week, but it felt a hundred times softer to the touch. While I can’t SEE the difference yet, I can certainly FEEL it.

2nd week… 

After only two weeks, my skin’s texture had noticeably improved and felt so much softer on the areas where I’ve been applying the products. My skin is especially baby smooth after using the scrub in the shower. It feels really great.

3rd week…

My decolleté and stomach are smoother in appearance, but even more so to the touch. My pores are also looking much cleaner on my chest, which doesn’t feel bumpy at all anymore, and my other body parts are more hydrated overall (something I can both see and feel). While the folds on my skin around the feet and ankles are a little tougher to treat, I can only imagine the positive progression over time, beyond three weeks of usage.

Is clean beauty something that you feel passionate about?

Yes, it absolutely is. My overall approach to beauty is very holistic, and that unequivocally includes the products that I use. I also believe that whatever is found in nature is what’s best for us humans–it’s part of our ecosystem. I don’t believe in cutting corners with known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors to make products cheaper.

What else do you feel passionate about?

To elaborate a little on my holistic philosophy: I very much believe that whatever goes into our bodies, along with our lifestyle habits, has a direct impact on how we feel on the inside and how we look on the outside. I’m a big proponent for balance and for people living their truth. By that, I mean that imposing ourselves too many boundaries or restrictions is a set-up for failure, and also that everyone’s system and body chemistry is different. Whatever may work for you won’t necessarily work for someone else. We have to listen to our bodies and figure out what we respond best to as individuals. 

Best advice you’ve ever received in regards to caring for your body?

Moisturize every day. Every single day. Never miss a day. DO NOT MISS A DAY!

How do you stay focused and motivated throughout the day?

Oof, lots of coffee?! Lol. All joking aside, I go through phases where I’m on top of things and feeling incredibly inspired and focused, while there are periods where I just can’t get it together and struggle to get things done. My solution to this has been to understand the times of day when my brain works best and try to take advantage of that. I’m a huge list person, so I write daily to-do lists of what I need to accomplish. I also have overarching bigger picture to-do lists that are weekly and monthly. Without them I’d be lost. 

What are some of your favorite foods that keep your skin healthy?

Not a food, but water is a big one! I drink a lot of water and when I slack on my h20 intake, I can actually physically see it. I look and feel healthier when I eat fresh, unprocessed foods, as well as less dairy and meat. Everything in moderation!

What’s on your WFH playlist?

Lots of Robyn, Sharon Van Etten, and Tei Shi. But recently I’ve been listening to a lot of French Canadian music classics cause I’ve been homesick.

Fill in the blank:      Nighttime showers      are underrated.

 

by