Some groupthink in “The Skin Enthusiast” Club on Clubhouse yielded these TOP takeaways we all want to implement in our skincare in 2021.

Skincare resolutions:

• Never skip a routine- morning or night..!
• Double down on that water intake!
• Stay on schedule with a routine.
• Remember to exfoliate 1-3 times a week.
• On the days you exfoliate, put on your sheet mask for deeper hydration and restoration. This way, you remember to do both!
• Decrease dairy!
• Remove that EYE make-up… and ALL make-up!
• Use a gentler cleanser.
• Layer various anti-oxidants.. try anti-oxidants that we haven’t before.
• Go to a professional for derma-planing, derma-brasions, and micro-needling. NO DIY’s!
• Use sunblock EVERY day- NO MATTER WHAT!
• Take time and pay attention to understand my skin.
• Practice what I preach!
• Remember that skincare is a journey.
• Start as young as possible—that’s RIGHT NOW!
• Aim for oil/water balance! If you have oily skin, don’t just focus on products that strip oils. All skin types need hydration!
• Do NOT forget to include your neck in every step!
• Minimize blue light intake.
• Don’t neglect body care.

And the resolution that kept coming up repeatedly?

• STAY CONSISTENT

 I was shocked at how so many people repeated the same struggles, which leads me to think that it may be less that we don’t know what to do, but more that we struggle with action, motivation and accountability.  And there were even a few who had never tried a sheet mask (gasp!) but committed to trying for the first time this year! So if that's you too, get a plan with Mask Moments right now, and let us help you get into the right HABIT of caring for your skin to get you glowing in 2021! 

Try it for $1 today 

“The Skin Enthusiast” is a social club on the Clubhouse app, a new invite-only voice-based social media app that’s currently only available on iOS (iphone users only at the moment). As one of the largest clubs focused on skincare, this community boasts a 30K+ members at the writing of this post and is one of the fastest growing communities on the app.  Have a topic or question you want to suggest? DM @maskmoments on IG.

Part 3. Cleansing & Exfoliation

Ok- glad you're still with us.  Now for the actual steps!

Skincare Routine Categories: Cleansing

The two overarching facets of your beauty routine should consist of cleansing and restoring (Part 4). There are three parts to cleansing:

Clean thoroughly and always be gentle!

 1. Remove Make-up.  Products are oil based, water based or cream based. Lip and eye removers are recommended if you use a lot of color cosmetics like mascara or lipstick or foundation that are hard to remove. You also have melting removers and oil based removers infused with active ingredients. The idea here is that oil removes oil.

2. Wash your face. Use lukewarm, running water. Wash morning and night, and if you work out during the day, make sure you wash after you sweat! Choose a gentle wash whether foam cleansers, milk cleansers that are recommended for drier skinned beauties or non-foaming cleansers.  If you are targeting acne, I recommend looking for salicylic acid in your wash and/or cleansers that help balance your skin pH. If you are washing at night, make sure you remove the SPF and make-up thoroughly. Make-up wipes do not count! They have their purpose but should not substitute washing your face.

3.Deep Cleansing (Exfoliation). Exfoliation is the idea of removing dead skin cells which is key for deep cleansing and reducing the appearance of dull skin.  There are three different ways we can approach the process:

 A. Physical friction: the idea of using friction to remove dull skin by using a scrub with micro-beads, a gommage, brushes, etc.  (Think buffering, like sandpaper.) For scrubs, I advise using the smallest, roundest beads possible as there are many scrubs containing sharp, coarse and uneven ingredients that will cause small tears that are not visible to the eye but are damaging. Gommage is a drying paste that also uses friction to remove dead skin cells. There are many types of brushes from mechanical to manual, but the idea here is to be as GENTLE as possible, as these methods can often be abrasive.

B. Chemical method: (AHAs, BHAs, glycolic acids):  the idea of dissolving dead skin cells, so that the softer, younger-looking skin underneath is revealed. The advantages of this type of exfoliating is that it will unclog your pores. If your main focus is on the skin’s surface (and you don’t suffer from sensitive skin, redness or blocked pores), an AHA exfoliant is a good choice if you are exfoliating as a part of the deep cleansing process. BHA and glycolic acid are often contained in products meant to be used during your routine as daily exfoliators.  For example, you may have AHA in your face wash or in your creams. Sensitive-skinned beauties can avoid using them as frequently. In fact, if you are extremely sensitive, I would avoid chemical exfoliators altogether as certain AHAs and BHAs can be powerful and cause irritation and weaken the skin barrier. I like to use spot treatments with salicylic acid (a BHA) to treat blackheads as well as the occasional pimple/ acne.

C. Biological method: similar to the way chemical exfoliants work except enzymes break down protein to remove dead skin cells to reveal smoother skin underneath.  This is personally my favorite way of exfoliating as it’s the most natural way to break down dead skin cells and most recommended for sensitive skinned beauties.  However, this is also the most difficult method to handle at home and therefore less available on the market, as the effectiveness is temperamental and easily affected by the environment, pH balance, temperature, exposure to sunlight and the method in which it works.  While best applied by an esthetician, the trick is to use a powder with a brush for the enzyme powder to lather the right amount (only a small amount is needed and even less water to lather correctly.) Then, allow steam to settle and give the enzyme time to work.  I recommend doing this in the shower. Alternatively, you can use a warm cloth/towel to put over your face.  After everything has dissolved, wash off with lukewarm water.  

How often should you exfoliate?

Generally, the rule of thumb is to deep cleanse one to three times a week.  Exfoliating properly will really give you that glow.  There are exfoliating pads and leave on exfoliating products meant to be used as part of your daily routine, but please use these with care.  If you have dry, sensitive skin, less will be more for you, as long as you can be consistent. Taking time to experiment is key so you know what works for you. Those with oily or acne-prone skin may benefit from exfoliating more often, and if you have mature skin, regular, routine deep cleansing should suffice. 

Pro Tip: Try using Mask Moments on the days that you exfoliate. The combination of deep cleansing and restoration will give you that ultimate glasskin glow! Get on a Mask Moments subscription plan to help you stay consistent with both exfoliation and restoration/ replenishing.

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Part 2. Am I Choosing the Right Products for My Skin Type?

Are You Identifying Your Unique Skin Type Correctly? 

The most traditional way of thinking of skin types are: Oily, Dry, Normal and Combination skin. What’s misleading about these categories, however, is that by thinking you have “oily” skin, you focus your entire regime to stripping oils, forgetting that you actually need hydration just as much as the dry skinned folks.  What’s worse is people who are acne prone automatically assume they have oily skin and over-irritate their skin, which then causes your skin to produce MORE oil because it’s compensating for the loss.  This is a very common mistake! Remember that ALL skin goes through the skin cycle from drier phases to oilier phases with different needs throughout the cycle. Yes, you may have oily skin, but your skin will need just as much restoration and hydration. Remember that it’s about finding the right oil/water balance for skin.  Moreover, all of our skins will lose moisture as we age, so everyone needs hydration- not just people with dry skin! 

Lastly, estheticians divide the skin regions by the T-zone (your forehead and nose), the U-zone (your cheeks and face up to the neck line) and the décolletage/ neck area. Combination skin suggests that one of these zones is different from the other.  For example, you might have an oily T-zone but a drier U-zone. Identifying these zones is more complex than it appears and having vastly different patches on your face suggests you may be doing something incorrectly. The best way to gauge is really by the size, shape and evenness of your pores, which is not always accurate to the naked eye. As an esthetician, I like to treat each of these areas differently, but most people don’t go into that level of detail for home beauty. 

What About People with Sensitive Skin?

This requires a whole other blog piece. The short answer is that a) everyone should be treating their skin as gently as possible and b) everyone needs to treat inflammation! Take note of the kind of allergens you react to and if your skin is showing irritation to helpful ingredients like retinol or vitamin C, you can build up to working them into your routine slowly, over time, in small increments. If you have a chronic skin condition, consult your dermatologist. As you experiment, always have a Mask Moments handy, as these masks will help relieve redness and sensitivities and soothe away irritations. 

So Now What? What’s the Best Approach for Choosing the Products for My Skincare Routine?

Instead of thinking of your skin as oily/dry/combination skin, choose targeted skin goals for yourself to build your routine. For example, you may want to target redness, uneven skin tone, blackheads, flaky skin, acne, dry skin, wrinkle prevention, firmness, etc.  Once you have products that target these skin concerns, build the rest of your around these goals. On top of your targeted goals, make sure your overall skin routine includes anti-aging and anti-inflammation goals as well. Choose the products that address these concerns and stick to it for a minimum of 30 days- give it your whole skin cycle. Change takes patience, consistency and discipline - a routine that you stick to! Results will be worth the investment! Join us on our Facebook Page (or request to be added to our private Facebook Group) and share your journey with us!

And instead of putting masking off for special occasions, build Mask Moments into your routine regularly to address inflammation and restoration. This will be the best skincare decision you make and your actions and choices WILL pay off! 

Try it for $1 today