There is a significant growth in use of vitamins in cosmetic products, especially in facial care products for mature skin. The customers’ demand is growing. Why – because the vitamins are momentarily fashionable? Because the customers are familiar with the benefits?
What are the benefits of vitamins when applied on the skin? Before we jump to skin benefits, let us start at the beginning, with an overview of vitamins.
How often are you in a bind, because you cannot find a suitable type of care that would meet the needs of every type of skin?
Often? Yes, it used to happen to me, too. These days it is difficult to claim that there are only a few basic types of skin. The skin types have become more complex. The clients are not facing only one or two problems, the problems are usually numerous! Is this the fault of hormonal changes due to external and internal factors? Is the stress to blame? All the harmful substances we ingest? Well, whatever is at fault, it is an undeniable fact that as cosmetologists we are faced with very demanding clients, who look to us for solutions. Immediately, if possible. We cannot offer immediate solutions, but we can significantly shorten the time necessary for skin regeneration, and offer a wholesome solution.
Can you imagine solving a lot more problems in a single treatment than you could before? Can you imagine designing the treatment yourself, so that you can cover a larger spectre of skin anomalies, in addition to offering the skin the very thing that is indispensable for every skin type – the slowing down of the ageing process?
A client with seemingly unproblematic skin. Clogged pores, she complains that she is bothered by shiny skin, caused by excessive sebum secretion, but if she uses products for oily skin or skin matting products, she feels an unpleasant, pulling sensation on the skin. Her skin is also very sensitive and it quickly reacts to inappropriate compounds in cosmetic products. Considering the fact that she is nearing 40, she really wants to use anti-age cosmetic products, but most of them are too oily and too heavy for her. Hmmm, sounds familiar?
The skin is basically oily, but the epidermis is very dry. The skin is sensitive and it needs anti-age active ingredients. What so we choose? What condition will we try to resolve? Will we prevent the excessive sebum secretion with products for oily skin? What if they additionally dry out the epidermis? Will her sensitive skin react to the usually too aggressive product for oily skin? And where do we place the anti-age products, which are mostly made on nutritive base and hence inappropriate?
When designing PERSONALIZED SKIN CARE, your primary task is to establish the basic skin type: in this case oily. OK. So you need products made on moisturising basis. We separate the treatment into two phases: the cleansing phase, where we take away from the skin, and the treatment phase, where we add to the skin.
In the CLEANSING PHASE we use gentle cleansing agents with a hydrophilic base, which are effective at cleansing, but at the same time moisturising enough not to dry out the skin. We clean the skin and finish the phase with a combination of mild detoxification and ‘sensitive’ mask based on Aloe Vera gel with phospholipids and polysaccharides which will calm the skin after the cleansing and detoxify it at the se time.
After the cleansing phase, we pamper the skin in the TREATMENT PHASE. Depending on the condition of the skin, we choose BASES, either hydrophilic bases or bases with low level of lipids (up to 12%). After selecting a suitable base of our care products, we add the active ingredients, targeting individual skin conditions:
Do you want to add some vitamins? Go for it, there can never be too many vitamins. 😊
Science fiction? Not even remotely. The personalized cosmetics concept gives us the possibility to choose the base (hydrophilic, lipo-hydrophilic, lipophilic) and enhance them by adding different active ingredients to solve several problems at the same time. It is like combining several different types of treatment into one! And we make the decision at which step of the treatment to incorporate the individual ingredients. Will we use certain active ingredients in combination with apparatus techniques? In the massage or as part of the mask? It is our decision. We can choose to use every appropriate active ingredient in every step, or we can distribute them in different steps.
The client will be justifiably enthusiastic about skin care, which is adjusted to her skin condition! The effect will be seen immediately, and the problems which troubled her will fade. The feeling of “renewed” skin on our face is the pleasure we all love.
Daily cleaning with a gentle cleansing gel is a must, the gel will clean the skin and moisturise it at the same time. The cleansing is followed by an application of moisturising tonic and a professional matting serum, so the skin does not shine. And the serum has one more secret: it contains a small percentage of lipids; just enough not to make the skin oily, but to give it a pleasant feeling of softness and to make sure the epidermis does not dehydrate. The serum is additionally enriched with anti-age active ingredients, because the skin needs them. And this satisfies our client’s needs for home care.
Did I mention that all the products used in our personalized treatment are completely natural and allergen free? And that there is no concern of causing harm to the client or worry that her sensitive skin will react and cause an awkward situation for us? I did not? Well those are very important factors: our organic cosmetics DOES NOT include harmful SULPHATES, which dry out the skin, it is NATURAL (CERTIFIED ORGANIC), and thus skin-friendly (without harmful preservatives, synthetic additives, GSO, mineral oils and silicones), it is ALLERGEN FREE, VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE and NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS. And despite being natural, our cosmetics products have a very PLEASANT SMELL. Can it get any better? 😊
Author:
Martina Drašler
Professional head coach for Essentiq cosmetics
THE BEAUTY OF YOUR SKIN CONDITION IS A RESULT OF YOUR DAILY TREATMENT ROUTINE
One of the hardest things is to write about something that people know in practice or at least they think they do. One of such things is the daily treatment of your skin. How hard can that be? You only need water, a cream, a make-up remover and that’s it. Or is it?
Before I got involved into cosmetic production business, my daily routine for skin care was as described above. I always thought that my skin is dry, so I was using creams for dry skin. With aging, I have started to look for antiage products.
When we started to produce cosmetics, I had to learn a lot about the efficiency of different products and ingredients. Consequently, my daily skin treatment routine changed a lot.
First of all, I started to use cleansing gel. I realised that washing with only water does not remove the sebum produced by the skin, or any other impurities that do not dissolve in water. I got used to washing my face with Essentiq Green Lemon & May Chang cleansing gel while showering. That is the easiest way for me. I apply it on my face, neck and décolleté, scrub gently and rinse it off. If I get some pimples on my shoulders, I wash them with the cleansing gel as well.
My second discovery was facial toner. I never understood the added value of this product, but now I think it is a MUST in my daily skin treatment routine. Essentiq Green Lemon & May Chang Moisturising toner neutralises the pH of your skin and provides it with moisture. I apply it the same way as men apply aftershave. With my hands. On my face, neck and décolleté. Taking care of the neck and décolleté became a part of my automatic daily routine.
I continue my morning routine with application of a MAGIC moisturiser or Anti-age & Anti-wrinkle 4.1 serum and finalise it with a Immortelle & Babassu for dry skin cream. I always apply toner and moisturiser/serum on my neck and décolleté as well, but I only apply cream on my neck in winter time. I always keep in mind that a woman’s age can be guessed by the state of the skin on her neck and hands, so I try to nourish them in the same way as I do my face. It is necessary to keep in mind that our neck and hands lack protective fats and sebum, so they are even more exposed to external influences.
My evening routine is similar to the morning one, but I apply less cream. I usually only add a bit of cream on my cheeks and around the eyes, but never on the T-zone.
I strongly stand on the position that beautiful and healthy appearance of your skin can easily be achieved through application of different cosmetic products in layers. As mentioned above, I always thought that my skin is dry. However, it turned out that it is dehydrated. The symptoms are similar, but the cause is different and consequently a different treatment regime is needed. I wrote more about the difference between dehydrated and dry skin in my previous blog.
In my experience it is important to start with application of moisture and then add light, fast-absorbing nourishing oils, and finish with occlusive fats for protection. By applying the products one after another your skin gets the nutrients, moisture and fats it needs in phases. Since I have been practicing this kind of approach, my skin does not suffer from dehydration any longer, it is more radiant and healthy.
Some of my friends change the creams they use according to the seasons, so that they use lighter creams in summer and creams with higher lipid contents in winter. My advice is to simply follow your instincts. But maintain your daily routine: cleansing – tonic application – serum/moisturiser – cream. Practice this routine for a year and the difference will be noticeable. To you as well as to your friends.
I have two teenagers at home (aged 12 and 15). Like most teenagers, mine have pimples on their faces, too. I could not avoid the process of growing up and all the problems related to that, even though I am in cosmetic business. My teenagers have typical teenage skin. And since I have two convenient guinea pigs at home, we have started to study the routine that teenagers should adopt if they want to avoid skin problems.
Together with my teenagers we came to the conclusion that the most important part for preventing pimples on teenage skin is appropriate and regular cleansing. Something that teenagers simply do not do as well as they should. Teens should wash their faces with the Cleansing gel at least EVERY EVENING. It is even better if they do it twice per day – in the morning and in the evening. Despite all my efforts this is still mission impossible, especially with my son. He only follows these instructions when his pimples get achy or when subcutaneous pimples appear. However, with the appearance of the later, face scrub should be used (it can be used once/twice per week). Face scrub MUST NOT be used on the areas where/if the skin is thin – usually on the cheeks. I must brag a little bit and say that I did succeed in training my teenagers to wash their faces with cleansing gel while showering. This is part of their routine now and since they see the positive results, they do it.
With teenagers and people with oily skin in mind, we have developed a special Fluid for oily skin – Rose Myrtle & Bergamot. The fluid is water based, combined with Aloe Vera gel and polysaccharides. This composition makes the fluid extremely light and skin penetrating, just what the oily skin needs. Main ingredients, such as Rose Myrtle, Saw Palmetto and Juniper fruit extracts, as well as Bergamot peel oil, help unclog the pores and consequently reduce sebum production, thus fighting skin problems, improving hydration and radiance. The fluid is further enriched with bio fermented hyaluronic acid, Ximena extract, glycerine, allantoin, panthenol and bisabolol. In winter and in cold weather even oily skin might need some occlusive oils for protection. In such cases we would recommend the use of KIDS facial cream Aloe Vera & Vanilla. Why? Because it contains light and quickly absorptive oils that nourish the skin, but they do not make it extensively oily. Nevertheless, if your teens have thin skin on their cheeks, then we recommend facial cream for dry skin Immortelle & Babassu in winter time.
In short, supply your teenager with facial cleansing gel Green lemon & May chang, face scrub Olive & Rosehip and Fluid for Oily skin Rose Myrtle & Bergamot. Encourage them to apply this kind of daily cleansing routine on teenage skin when the first pimples appear and do not wait for problematic (inflammatory) conditions to develop.
Of course, as a producer and a believer in natural and organic cosmetics, I will always recommend you use natural skincare, not just for teenage skin, but any skin. It is less harmful for the environment and more user friendly in the long run for you.
THE BEAUTY OF YOUR SKIN CONDITION IS A RESULT OF YOUR DAILY TREATMENT ROUTINE