Everyday skin care routines for all ages

I received a number of requests to explain the everyday routines one should follow to help one on a path to easier skin care, with optimal results.

Care for your skin, you'll be glad you did.

There are such a huge variety of skin care products available, that it is very easy to get confused and discouraged to start a skin care routine.  This as a simple step-by-step routine that anyone can follow, no matter what your age, skin type or concern.

Assuming that you already have established what you skin type and skin concerns are, you need to ask your beautician to recommend the following products, suitable for you:

Basics: Cleanser, toner, day cream, night cream, sun screen and eye cream.

This is the basics that you will need. Yes, everyone needs and eye cream and a sun screen, no matter what your age. Please note that your day and night cream can be the same, it does not need to be two different creams, as long as it does not contain a sunscreen or products that you should not be wearing during the day, ex Vitamin A.

Optional extras: Make-up remover, exfoliator, face mask, serums and oils.

If you are just starting a home-care routine, you may not want, or be financially in a position, to buy everything that is in the salon for your skin type immediately- these are nice to have, but it will not be a disaster if you cannot buy it as well.

 If you can afford it, regular visits, once every 4-6 weeks, to your beautician, will be awesome for your skin, and use the best products that you can afford.

Basic routines that everyone can follow:

Morning routine:

Cleaner, toner eye cream, day cream, sunscreen.

Evening routine:

Cleaner, toner, eye cream, night cream.

Once a week: Clean , exfoliate, mask, tone, eye cream, day or night cream-depending on what time you do this.

Teens to Thirties

This is the stage of your life where you want to keep your skin hydrated and protected. Whether you have normal, oily/acne or a combination skin, you can keep your routine simple.

Daily Skin Care Routine For Teens to 28/30 Years of age

 Thirties to Forties years of age

This is the time to start with an anti-aging routine. Yes, anti-aging! It is not too soon as we all are exposed on a daily basis to environmental aggressors that create havoc with our skins.

Most good skin ranges will have products that are formulated to be used as an early prevention against ageing. You do not need to use all the anti-ageing products, but it is a good idea to change your eye cream and night cream to an anti-aging range. You can now also look at a hydrating serum or oil to add to you products, as it is then very easy to customize your routine a bit more. Add  the serum and oil in the morning and/or night, depending on how dry your skin are in either of those times.

How to incorporate your serum or oil into your routine:

Morning routine:

Cleaner, toner, eye cream, serum or oil, day cream, sunscreen.

Evening routine:

Cleaner, toner, eye cream, serum or oil, night cream.

Once a week: Clean , exfoliate, mask, tone, eye cream, serum or oil, day or night cream-depending on what time you do this.

Daily Skin Care Routine For Thirties to Forties

Forties and upwards

At this stage on our life, our skin texture and oil/water ratio changes and all of a sudden your normal skin products are not just doing the job anymore.

It is now time to ask your beautician to re-evaluate your skin concerns and your product range.  You will most likely have to start using a richer day and night cream and please change all of your skin products over to the anti-ageing range.

You will have to start looking at products with ingredients such as Vitamin A (retinols), collagen synthesis stimulating ingredients, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, etc that have powerful anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle properties.

You can also incorporate an exfoliator that contains Alpha Hydroxy Acids in your weekly routine.  It will stimulate cell-turnover, which can slow down as we age.

Please contact Gerda at; gerda@agbeautysalon.co.za or 082 398 9817 for more inforation or to book an apppointment for a free-of-charge skin consultation 

Will wearing make-up cause breakouts?

Always keep these five tips in mind for beautiful morning-after skin!

1. Wearing make-up will not let you breakout unless you use foundation/powder/concealer that suits your skin type and if you cleanse properly at night time. 
2. When cleansing you skin, you are removing any make-up, impurities, dead skin cells, sweat, and sebum that have accumulated during the day. 
3. Our skin is also a very easy-to-reach dumping ground for dust and other air pollutants. 
4. If you forget to remove your make-up before going to sleep, it will be more difficult in the morning to remove that stubborn mascara and stay-on-forever lip colour. 
5. So , please do not forget to cleanse your skin very well at night to prevent any breakouts.

How to remove your eye make-up without trauma and tears…

Follow these easy steps to stress-free makeup removal:

• Use a good salon make-up remover and damp cotton wool, as some of the cotton wool feels like abrasive pads on the skin when dry. 
• Soak the cotton wool in the make-up remover and place over the eyelids. Wait 5 to 10 seconds for the make-up to softens, then gently stroke the eye lashes from base to tip to remove the mascara. 
• Then stroke softly (not rub and scrub!) from the inside to the outside corner of the eye. 

Be gentle with skin around your eyes

• Repeat this process until all make-up is removed. If there is still be some stubborn make-up, especially eyeliner around the lashes, use an ear bud (Q-tip) soaked in the remover and gently wipes it away. 
• Now you can cleanse your whole face with your skin specific cleanser. Use a gentle toner and the correct eye cream for your age and gently tap it on the eye bone.

Products to try:
Vitaderm Gentle Eye Make-up Remover
Removes water resistant and smudge-proof makeup

TheraVine™ Ultimate Eye Make-up Remover

Ultra fine oils formulated to delicately help remove stubborn eye make-up whilst moisturising the eyelids.

Vitaderm Pre-Cleanse

Highly effective pre-cleanser

Please also read the following articles:

The importance of cleansing your skin

Which cleanser for my skin type?

If you need any further information on how to choose your home care products, please contact us at 082 398 9817 for an appointment or if you want to know more about the products that we stock in the salon, please visit our website @Agbeautysalon