Tag Archive for: Skincare

The best skincare routines and being diligent about proper daily cleansing is key to glowing skin, but if you’re not aware of some of the most common daily habits that could be running your skin, it does not matter what you put on. We’ve dug deep to highlight these common daily skin busters that could be the culprits that lead to those unwanted breakouts.

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Gym workouts are beneficial for your overall health, but the machine surfaces and ground are filled with acne causing bacteria. Try not to touch your face during your workout and wash your hands immediately afterwards.

Tip: We love these Yes to Carrots new all-natural fragrance-free antibacterial wipes – they should be part of every gym bag!
You may not be lactose intolerant, but dairy contains hormones that trigger the oil glands to go into overdrive, causing breakouts. Try going dairy free for a few weeks and watch your skin become luminescent.
Tip: Supplement your dairy with Almond Milk-based products; they’re delicious and lower in calories.
Cell phones can carry a lot of bacteria because they get put on many dirty surfaces. Every time you hold your phone to your face that bacteria is transferred onto your skin.
Tip: Invest in headphones and these Bose headphones are one of our favorites.
Think your foundation is causing you to break out? Think again, dirty makeup brushes carry bacteria that leads to breakouts. Make sure to clean your brushes regularly and wipe off the top layer of your foundation to ensure that you are keeping it bacteria-free.
Tip: The Beauty Department featured this recent post that we now follow – featuring an all-natural DIY brush cleaner that is super easy and extremely effective.
Think again when you want to grab those tweezers inside your drawer. They carry loads of acne-causing bacteria that spreads like wild fire when using them to pluck those unwanted hairs.
Tip: Disinfect your tweezers with rubbing alcohol right before you pluck your eyebrows, and do it every single time.

Reading a skincare product label can be daunting and almost like trying to decipher a foreign language, leaving you confused and frustrated. Worse, you end up buying an ineffective or inappropriate product. We enlisted Dr. Goldfaden to help us navigate our way through determining what’s important to look for, how ingredients work and tips for us to understand reading labels.

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How do percentages of skin-care products work? 

“Percentages are listed to explain the amount of active ingredients in a particular product. They will dictate how active or not active a product can be. For example a vitamin C serum can have 12% Vitamin C or a more aggressive serum maybe contain 17%. Not all customers can tolerate high percentages of aggressive ingredients, so there are choices in the marketplace.” Dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden

Is there really such a thing as “the highest percentage/concentration available” or is that marketing hype?

“Yes, This is a real thing. This usually means exactly what it says. Some brands choose to use the highest and some use less. This usually dictates the quality of a product and the consumer can see this within the labeling order of the product. The first ingredients listed are the most active and they decrease as they move down the ingredient listing” Dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden

What makes “active ingredients” in a skin-care product different from the other ingredients?

“Active ingredients are in the product to deliver a results. Inactive ingredients help to deliver the active ingredients, they also help to stabilize, deliver hydration, fragrance, color etc. For example in a moisturizer Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid could be the active ingredients and the inactive could be emulsified wax or even glycerin.” Dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden

Do you have any easy tips for a consumer to really understand how to read product labels to make sure they are getting effective ingredients/products?

“The largest concentration of ingredients is usually listed first on the label. It is also imperative to know what agrees and doesn’t agree with your skin, for example fragrances, mineral oil etc. Looking for products that contain very few ingredients is the best way to keep your skin and body healthy. A good rule of thumb is to stay clear of artificial fragrance, color, mineral oil, alcohols, sulfates and silicones.” Dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden

How do natural ingredients work, as it relates to effectiveness and when compared to synthetic ingredients?

“Ultimately this becomes the consumer’s choice. In the world we live in, we cannot avoid all synthetic ingredients all the time. Choosing to use natural skincare products can reduce the risk of allergic reactions and other skin problems from developing. Since skincare products are not considered ‘drugs’, they are not absorbed onto the blood stream. However, after years of using synthetic products(hair, skin, makeup) some people may develop anything as treatable as an allergy to a form of immune disorders and certain cancers. This continues to be an ongoing debate in the medical and cosmeceutical world. “Synthetic” ingredients may start as a natural ingredient but they are then chemically modified on some level. “Natural” ingredients come from the earth and are not modified chemically when being formulated into products. A good example of this is the ingredient petroleum. Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid extracted from rock. However when used in products it is chemically modified and cause more harm than good. Petroleum can clogs pores, slow down cellular regeneration and contain PAH which has been linked to cancer.” Dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden

Do you have any skin-care tips for making your products work better—such as exfoliating, swapping them out?

“Exfoliation will always allow other skincare products ie serums, treatment and moisturizers to be absorbed more throughly.” Dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden

We know how crazy the mornings can be, but in order for all of us to stay and look healthy, these are three things that we NEVER forget to do before walking out of the house. By taking 10 minutes in the morning, you can ensure that you always start your morning off right.

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#1: 25 second skincare prep 

Practicing a simple skincare morning regimen helps wake your skin up and prime it for makeup, ensuring that your features radiate and your makeup lasts throughout the day.

Cleanse: Dissolve nightly impurities and remove your nightly treatment in one step. Skin is left clean, clear, smooth, and energized.

Treat: Help protect your skin from daily free radical damaged caused by UVA/UVB rays and environmental damage by applying a potent anti-oxidant serum. Our top picks for anti-oxidants include, Organic Red Tea (50X more potent of an anti-oxidant that green tea), Pomegranate and Cherry extracts.

Moisturize: This is two-fold as we need to also de-puff our eyes (look for eye-products that contain Vitamin K + Arnica which help to reduce puffiness and dark circles) and prep our overall complexion for makeup.

#2: Don’t skimp on breakfast

According to Livestrong: While a recent human clinical trial reported that eating breakfast isn’t necessary for weight loss, there are plenty of other studies that suggest otherwise. In the largest sample of successful dieters, 78 percent reported eating breakfast every day. Still, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults skip their first meal on any given day — and that increases your risk for other chronic conditions. What’s more, a Harvard study reported that men who skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to develop heart disease and that female breakfast skippers had a 28 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Eating breakfast may also give you more energy: One study found that breakfast eaters burned 400 more calories during a day through increased daily activity.

Our favorites include: Steel Cut Oatmeal with raisins and fresh berries and egg whites mixed with spinach and a side of sliced avocado.

#3: AM Detox 

Add a slice of lemon to a warm cup of water in the morning. By adding lemon to your water, it has been shown to promote fresher breath, realigns your bodies pH balance and improves digestive function to name a few. And don’t forget to get your daily dose of recommended water intake of 8 full glasses daily.