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! 

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  Part 1: What Causes Aging?

*Warning: Written for #skinnerds. If you just want to skip to the actual steps for the routine, see Parts 3 & 4 - coming soon!

One of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to skincare is- what’s the perfect beauty routine?  Even with a TON of info out on social media, people ask this over and over, because it’s actually more complicated than just simple rules and steps that work for all. There’s context, personal preferences, exceptions, varying skin needs and goals and varying expert advice. Read on for some background and understanding which will help you sort through the sea of info, and you can decide what applies to you. 

The Home Beauty Routine is Based on Professional Skincare Facials 

If you’ve gotten a professional facial from an esthetician before, you might recognize that the home beauty skincare routines are basically the breakdown of each step in these facials conducted at home to promote optimal skin health. (If you’re curious as to what professional facials are typically like, here’s one review of a facial done at Aesop.) Remember that the role of the dermatologist is different from licensed beauty specialists. Generally, derms will have a more clinical focus (think skin cancer, burns, and medical conditions) while estheticians will focus more on appearance, preventative, preemptive and holistic care. Then there are the cosmetic surgeons and medical aestheticians (fillers, liposuction, botox injections, etc.) and specialists that stride in between. Understanding these distinctions is important in discerning through the sometimes clashing sea of confusing info on the Internet, as experts can approach the subject from varying perspectives. 💡 

Keep in Mind

Remember that beauty is personal and everyone is different. While there are universal guidelines, there’s no ONE perfect routine to suit all.  Knowing your skin and having skin goals will help shape the routine that’s right for you. It will take observation and patience. Also, keep in mind that your skin changes and that you may want to alter your routine over time.

So How Do Home Beauty/Skincare Routines Work?

Your skin has a cycle that’s about a month long. This cycle is the process of new skin cells forming and moving up through the layers of your skin that then become dead skin cells at the top layer.  By removing the dead skin cells, we speed up the process as new skin appears beneath, making our skin look fresh and dewy. As we age, this process can slow down. The skincare routine is all about prevention, protection and promoting cell turnover. All the steps break down into two overarching actions: cleansing and replenishing.

What Happens When We Age?

Did you know that only 10% of aging is intrinsic, meaning the natural process of aging and your genetic disposition, while 90% is extrinsic aging?  That means the environment, lifestyle choices and external factors attribute to the rest. Translation: it can be prevented and slowed!! 

When we age, the biochemical changes that happen include losing tensile strength from loss of collagen, and elastic production, and  lipid production. The skin also loses the ability to bind water, causing the skin to be more dehydrated and the slowing of blood flow also makes the delivery of nutrition to the cells less efficient. There’s less energy for repairing DNA damage, and slower cell turnover as well as impaired immune function. Your skin becomes dry, the skin barrier function is weakened, and you form aging cells. These all lead to visible physical changes like wrinkles, sagging, loss of fat, and loss of firmness and tension, which leads to more wrinkles, rougher texture and thinning or thickening of the skin. Not to mention discoloration, dark spots, and uneven skin tone, making the skin look dull or lackluster.  Dilated capillaries cause redness, and your skin becomes more prone to inflammation.

So What Causes Aging Skin?   

The culprits include: Free radicals, DNA repair, inflammation, glycation & cross-linking, mitochondria (energy production), cellular garbage, telomeres, genetic clock, wear & tear, hormones, stress, smoke, alcohol. There's no ONE reason, as it's a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors that play a role, so we must be diligent about building a preventative system of anti-aging care at a holistic level. In other words, we need an effective age-fighting systemic plan to tackle the different mechanisms of aging. This means maintaining a healthy lifestyle, drinking plenty of water, getting sound sleep, regular exercise, balanced nutrition and managing stress on TOP of a strong skincare routine filled with beauty products that target skin-aging agents.  (Read about the types of ingredients to look for in your skincare regimen.)

Fight aging by building masking into your regular beauty routine. Remember aging can be slowed and prevented by preemptive protection and prevention!  Signing up for Mask Moments is one of the best decisions you’ll make in your skincare routine!

Try it for $1 today 

1. If you are an ingredient-conscious consumer...

Mask Moments specialty sheet masks are made from fermented coconut fruit extracts, unlike your average cloth-like face mask.  Cocos nucifera (coconut) extract (not to be confused with the comedogenic coconut oil) is high in protective antioxidants and antibacterial fatty acids that improve skin elasticity and help prevent premature aging and wrinkles. Coconut water also relieves redness, sensitivity, acne while soothing and hydrating. This helps slow down the aging process.  If you are an ingredient-conscious consumer, these masks are made of all natural material chock full of antioxidants with no parabens, sulfates or phthalates.

2. 10x hydration and absorption

Biocellulose contains high concentrations of antioxidants and humectants that help protect and strengthen the skin barrier.  Higher moisture content means increased hydration. Combined with the most effective natural ingredients and the most advanced technology, biocellulose sheets ensure 10 times the absorption into the deeper layers of your skin. Serum from low quality masks evaporate quickly and tend to sit on top of your skin, leaving you look wet than really hydrating. Mask Moments outperform the cosmetic effects by including highly concentrated active ingredients, providing longer lasting hydration and ensuring deep and effective absorption. 

3. Second skin fit

The no-drip, no-slip Mask Moments biocellulose masks adhere to your skin with a contoured best fit, like a second skin, creating a seal for maximum absorption and hydration while giving you full mobility. Yes, you can multitask while taking Mask Moments!

4. Convenient and easy to apply

Mask Moments sheet masks allow for a mess-free application that is neither drippy nor sticky unlike your average sheet masks. Remember that Mask Moments include two protective covers: remove one first, apply by smoothing onto skin, then remove the other cover for best results.

5. Best Value AND Glowing Results- the best investment you’ll make!

Consistent use with one of our subscription plans will ensure glowing skin and the results will be comparable to going to a spa. Don’t let facials be a one time, special occasion event, but rather, make it a routine and a lifestyle of skincare and self-care for your healthiest skin yet! Mask Moments cuts out the middleman to deliver you the highest quality of masks without the typical retail and brand mark ups. This means that the value goes straight to your pores rather than the pockets of the retailer.  You’ll find that it is the most worthwhile investment to maintain youthful skin.  

6. Biodegradable and cruelty-free

The process of fermenting coconut water helps create natural fibers for our mask. That makes our material biodegradable and 100% natural. We want to do our part to be environmentally conscious while delivering real results!  (We also don’t test on animals and use tested, proven ingredients in nature and science. More on different types of sheets here.)

7. Anti-inflammation

Did you know more than 40% of professional facials focus on calming inflammation? From pollutants to stress, inflammatory triggers from our lifestyle and environment IRRITATE our skin.  It shows as blotchy redness, early signs of aging, uneven hyperpigmentation spots, breakouts and dry skin! Inflammation causes our skin’s collagen and elastin to break down at a faster rate and causes fine lines and wrinkles to appear earlier due to a weakened moisture barrier.  Focus on relieving and CALMING inflammation regularly in your skin routine! Mask Moments biocellulose, sometimes referred to as coconut jelly, is naturally healing and cooling, calming your skin.

Remember that inflammation causes aging. Redness, irritation, rash-like bumps, acne or sunburn are all types of acute inflammation and you may even be having an allergic reaction. When it is chronic, it can become eczema, psoriasis or rosacea. The good news is that this can be prevented by using our naturally cooling masks made of coconut!. Not many people talk about this in skincare but anti-inflammation is a key component of antiaging.  Aim to soothe, relieve, calm and cool skin with Mask Moments. (What to do if you have sensitive skin.)

8. Naturally Antimicrobial (Translation: great for acne!) 

Coconut water contains an anti-microbial powerhouse, lauric acid, that helps protect against skin infections. It also contains a protein called cytokines that is responsible for encouraging cell growth and cell activation. They regulate signals in response to inflammation caused by acne that have anti-aging effects on the skin. Both external and internal use can improve wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots.

9. Breathable.. aaah!

Unlike the average face masks, biocellulose masks by Mask Moments are BREATHABLE.  Leaving on other types of masks on your skin for longer than the recommended time will cause irritation and can have undesirable effects. This is true for cloth-like types, cotton, fabric, and especially hydrogel masks.  Bio-cellulose is the only material that allows your skin to breathe while masking and can be left on the longest without irritation. For best results, try leaving on Mask Moments until the masks thin out and your skin has fully absorbed the ingredients. 

10. Naturally healing

Biocellulose sheets were originally developed to treat burn wounds and are naturally healing!

Hydration comes NATURALLY with Mask Moments!

Try Mask Moments for $1 today