Skin care for beginners
You are standing in your local Boots store staring blankly at the rows and rows of skincare products,what do you buy? Something for dry skin? Combination skin? Anti-wrinkle cream? How old should you be to use anti-wrinkle cream? Cream cleanser or face wash? And what on earth is a serum and what do you do with it? Sound familiar? These are just some of the questions our beauty therapists get asked daily so let us give you a novice guide to skincare.
I expect most of you have heard of the ‘cleanse, tone, moisturise’ routine but how many of you actually understand why you should be doing it?
Let’s start with cleansing. The point of cleansing is to CLEAN your skin. It removes any make up and dirt that has built up throughout the day and prepares the skin for your moisturiser. Traditionally, people with dry skin prefer a cream cleanser as it has a richer texture and people with oily/combination skin types prefer more of a face wash that you mix with water and rinse off. Whichever you prefer, ultimately they both do the same thing. All of our Pevonia cleansers can be used as ‘wash’ for convenience. Once you have cleansed, it is important to use a toner to remove any traces of cleanser left on your skin and also to remove any remaining oil or grease from your skin. Our Pevonia toners contain triple distilled water and are 2.5% active so the treatment of your skin starts right from the beginning. These can be applied by spritzing over the skin or by spraying on to a damp cotton wool pad and wiping over. Now your skin is perfectly cleansed and prepared for your moisturiser. There are lots of different types of moisturiser available on the market so which one is right for you?
Believe it or not, a ‘mature’ skin type is classed as skin over the age of 25. Depressing right?! Prevention is always better than cure so the sooner you start looking after your skin the better chance you have of retaining your youthful looks! As we get older the natural collagen and elastin in our skin starts deteriorating so the stronger we can make it the better. For those you just starting to notice the first signs of aging, maybe you are starting to see a few fine lines appearing around the eyes or forehead, then the Pevonia Power Repair line is for you. This complete range of products contain ingredients such as Marine Collagen, Marine Elastin, Hyaluronic Acid and Squalane soften fine lines and wrinkles, provide a moisture bond and improves elasticity. Or if you need something a little stronger, we have the Micro-Retinol line which contains, along with marine collagen and elastin, retinol, vitamin C and E. Retinol is a form of vitamin A and has a ‘resurfacing’ effect on the skin as well as smoothing, firming and brightening.
So there you have it, your basic ‘cleanse, tone, moisturise’ routine. Ideally, this needs to be done twice daily.
What’s wrong with soap I hear you say? Well, soap contains lots of nasty ingredients and chemicals that can cause your skin to become dry and irritated with prolonged use. Which is exactly what you are trying to avoid! Below is a list of a few commonly used ingredients in cheaper, high street products and why Pevonia insist on NOT using them.
Lanolin – Causes allergies, causes blackheads, may contain carcinogens
Isoproyl Myristate – Causes blackheads and milia, penetrate hair follicles
Artificial Fragrances (parfum) – Causes allergies, photosensitising.
Octyl Palmitate – Clogs pores, respiratory irritant, causes blackheads
S.D. Alcohol – Drying and irritating
Have a look through your products and see if they contain any of these. We bet you will be surprised!
A big beauty trend at the moment are serums and face oils. And with good reason! These powerful boosters can make a huge difference to your skin. Serums are highly concentrated so you only use a small amount and they are applied after cleansing and toning but before your moisturiser. Pevonia serums (we call them concentrates) are 10% active so are very strong and are only available under the advice of a qualified Pevonia skin care expert. Face oils can be used as a serum under your moisturiser or you can mix them with your moisturiser at night time to give your cream a richer texture. Pevonia Aromatherapy Face Oils have a hazel nut base and contain gorgeous essential oils such as Jasmine, Lavender and Lemongrass. They come suitable for all skin types including dry, sensitive and oily/combination.
Looking after your skin properly is a huge investment and to ensure you get maximum benefit out of your products its important your use an exfoliator twice a week to get rid of any build up of dead skin cells. You may already have a ‘face scrub’ buried at the bottom of your beauty products. Be careful if it contains crushed apricot shell or such like, things like this can be too abrasive and scratch the skin. Ideally, your facial exfoliator should contain spherical beads so it doesn’t cause damage to your skin or it should be an enzyme based peeling cream. The enzyme peeling creams do not contain ‘bits’ but they have powerful enzymes that act like teeny tiny Pacmen eating away all of the dead cells and trapped oil. The enzymes in our Pevonia ESP Cream are derived from pineapple and papaya so it smells like a tropical cocktail, it’s divine!
I hope this has enlightened you! For a personalised Pevonia skin care prescription, you can book in with any of our beauty therapists as they have all undergone extensive training with Pevonia in skincare and they will be happy to recommend the correct products for you.
Hayley x
Beauty Manager