I have been writing about beauty for well over 10 years so I have learned a lot about skincare via the founders of various lines from Dr. Perricone to Osmotics’ Francine Porter and so many others. In that mix are a lot of aestheticians who are skincare experts who do facials on clients and thus are able to see the wide range of skincare issues and then select or create treatments within the “facial” atmosphere and then recommend brands or products they have created that have successfully treated various skincare issues. While I have spent time both on the table being treated learning about treatments and products, I have also spent more time learning about how each aesthetician approaches skincare and treating various skincare issues. Most of the time aestheticians are in treatment rooms with their clients. For those who are creating products and treatments, they are often in the lab or their ‘kitchen’ creating products that they test on themselves and other aestheticians. I always found the work of creating products to be fascinating since it’s a very long process fraught with ‘fails’ and ‘successes’.
When I ran across Skincare by Alana’s Alana Mitchell, I was pretty impressed by her line. She definitely had my attention when she reached out to me and we started talking about her business (her spa), her namesake skincare line Alana Mitchell Skincare, and her online store (for an amazing array of products)!
I am very happy to introduce you to Alana Mitchell of SkincarebyAlana who is our guest blogger for today (*and hopefully for return visits) who has written a list of tips on “Spring Cleaning Your Skin!”
If you are like me, you welcome any sign that spring is fast approaching. Of course, living in Southern California does have the perks of resembling spring a good majority of the time. But there is something so serene and beautiful about the official transition of winter to spring that takes place each and every March. And of course, along with those changes comes the ever cliché “Spring Cleaning”. But today I want to talk about a very specific kind of spring-cleaning: the one that you should be doing for your skin! And I am going to walk you through this by giving you my personal how-to guide on doing just that!
Part 1: Cleaning Your Actual Skin.
What I love about applying the term “Spring Cleaning” to my skin, particularly with my clients, is that it gives you a fresh start, so-to-speak. Much akin to setting up New Years’ Resolutions, this is the perfect time to reevaluate and realign your skin care practices and goals, starting with learning to properly cleanse your skin.
• Make It Your Mission to Cleanse Each & Every Day.
You might be surprised at just how many people do not keep up with a regular cleansing regimen. Items such as makeup remover wipes have made it easy to push actual cleansing to the wayside, which is not a wise decision. Cleansing your skin not only helps you to rid your skin of dirt, oil, and makeup, but it also prepares your skin to better absorb your follow-up products (such as serums and moisturizers). So really, it will help you get more bang for your buck! I always recommend cleansing once in the morning and twice at night to ensure that your face is squeaky clean before hitting the pillow!
• Purge Impurities By Incorporating an Exfoliant Into Your Routine.
I am so happy to see more and more people incorporating exfoliating products into their skin care regimens, because the benefits are seriously beautiful. Exfoliants essentially help to slough away dead skin cells, boosting cell turnover (essential for anti-aging), while purging the pores of impurities. The beautiful thing about these products is that you can find them in so many different forms: from gel masks, to powders, to scrubs, you can find one that suits your fancy and enjoy more even-toned, radiant skin.
• Re-Evaluate Your Skin Care Regimen.
Let me start this by saying: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! With that in mind, if you still aren’t seeing desired results, or feel like something is “missing” in your skincare routine, you might want to re-evaluate your regimen! Don’t be afraid to sit down and talk with your esthetician about what you feel is lacking, or what you need more of. With the weather changing anyways, spring is the perfect time to discover new products and kiss old one’s goodbye.
Part 2: Spring Cleaning Your Collection.
If you like to hang on to a wide collection of beauty products, you are definitely not alone. It is easy to relegate the moisturizer or serum you almost finished, or didn’t love to the back of your medicine cabinet, for use one day when you might need it. If this sounds familiar, you are going to want to listen up.
• Get. Rid. Of. It.
Just like old clothes you set aside, but never wear again, these products are just taking up space (and not to mention, growing old). Take some time to sort through your collection and evaluate the products you use and don’t use. A good rule of thumb is: if you haven’t used it in over a month (with the exception of spot treatments and relief creams), it is time to let it go.
• Pay Attention to Expiration Dates.
If you have a product you absolute love, but can’t remember when you opened it, it might be time to toss it out. Contrary to popular belief, skin care products can and do expire, after which time it is best not to use them. You can find a products “once opened” shelf life by locating the open jar symbol, which will also have a number. An open jar symbol paired with the number 12 indicates that your product will be good for 12 months after opening, and should then be disposed of.
• Transition Your Skin Care.
If you are a part of the lucky few who maintain the same skin type year-round, you are welcome to pass over this section. With that being said, most people do find that their skin will change as the weather conditions do. As we kiss the cold weather of winter goodbye and welcome the warm weather of spring, we have to consider which products are going to work best for us. For instance, many people notice that their skin is dry in the winter, but oily in the spring and summer months. This means that your beloved deeply hydrating treatment serum might be too heavy to use as the weather shifts our skin to an oilier feel. Some common swaps for going from dry to combo/oily include…
o Your Cleanser:
Opting for a foam or gel cleanser option is a great way to go if you’d like to zap oil without over-drying your face. Two fabulous options for this include SkinCeuticals Foaming Cleanser and Trilogy’s Balancing Gel Cleanser.
o Your Serum/Moisturizer:
If you tend to lean more oily/combo year round, you will likely be able to cut your serum/moisturizer routine down to just one product once the weather starts to warm. I like to recommend a nourishing serum, or a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer in these cases. If you tend to lean more dry year-round, you can either stay on your current regimen, or find formulas that are a bit more lightweight while still hydrating the skin.
o Your Eye Cream:
I cannot stress this enough, no matter what your skin type, you should always keep an eye cream in your arsenal! Eye cream formulas can range from ultra-luxurious creams, to ultra-lightweight gels, so there is simply no excuse for kicking it out of your regimen come spring! Try this one: Alana Mitchell Anti-Aging Peptide Eye Cream
o Lastly, Your SPF:
If you feel that slathering an SPF over your other products is just too much in the warmer spring/summer months, it is time to find another formula. Since heavier foundations tend to melt in the heat, I like to opt for tinted moisturizers and BB creams, which often come equipped with SPF protection! If you want to take it the extra mile, look for formulas that offer skin-enhancing ingredients, such as Image Skincare’s Prevention+ Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30.
Alana Mitchell
Bio: Alana Mitchell
With a mission to improve the “Quality, Appearance, and Health” of all of her clients’ skin, Alana Mitchell has become a leader in the skincare industry. She is a licensed esthetician, skin care fanatic, devoted wife, loving mother to two beautiful boys, and the owner of SkinCare by Alana, a Dana Point, California based retailer of natural, organic, and highly-sought-after spa products.
Follow Alana Mitchell and SkincareByAlana on these social platforms:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkinCarebyAlana
Twitter: https://twitter.com/skincarebyalana
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/spainfo411
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/skincarebyalana/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skincarebyalana/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skincarebyalana
If you check out her website, you can get a consultation with a medical aesthetician via phone, email or CHAT!
PS! If you would like to see more current content from Skincare by Alana, check out this post on how your cell phone’s “blue light” will have a negative affect on your skin: https://www.skincarebyalana.com/blog/is-blue-hev-light-bad-for-skin/
https://www.skincarebyalana.com/blog/is-blue-hev-light-bad-for-skin/
Thank you to Alana Mitchell for this great post!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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