Essential Oils

Essential oils are aromatic qualities of plants that are often added to skin care products for their soothing aromas, not to mention their nourishing benefits. Essential oils bring vitamins and minerals to the skin, helping to encourage healthy cellular activity and diminish everything from acne breakouts to signs of aging.

Hydra Floral Moisturizing Emulsion, made by Decleor, is a lightweight facial moisturizer that softens and hydrates the skin with essential oils of orange, peppermint and other fragrant sources, creating a delightful aroma while nourishing the skin.

Essential oils can also help you relax, such as with Pevonia Anti-Stress Aromatic Seaweed Bath. Add to your favorite bath to wash away stress while infusing essential oils deep into the skin for prolonged indulgence.

Essential oils can also benefit the hair, providing a protective sheath around the hair follicle while encouraging healthy growth. Osmotics FNS Shampoo is designed to help discourage thinning hair in men, but can actually be used by anyone looking to strengthen and protect their hair for a soft sheen.

Prevent Age Spots

Age spots, or hyperpigmentation, are caused by cumulative sun exposure. Age spots are characterized by light brown to black spots on areas that are most exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck and hands.

Although age spots can be treated with the right products, preventing age spots is also possible, and safer. A protective and preventative skin care regimen and a healthy lifestyle will contribute to healthy, even skin.

Daily use of sunscreen is essential to preventing age spots. A sun protection lotion that protects against both UVA and UVB rays is best, such as La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX or SkinCeuticals Physical UV Defense SPF 30.

Another great way to prevent age spots is to fight free radial damage with antioxidant products such as SkinCeuticals' C E Ferulicq, which also boosts the effect of your photoprotection to eight times its natural state.

A combination of sunscreen and free radical fighting products is the first step to preventing unsightly hyperpigmentation, as well as promoting skin health and vitality.

Dandruff Duty

Dandruff is a condition that affects the scalp. Dandruff occurs because the skin cells are produced too quickly at one time, resulting in a surplus of these cells, appearing as white flakes, dead skin cells, on the hair or scalp.

Dryness and irritation are common side effects of dandruff, even though dryness is not the cause of dandruff initially. Dandruff should be treated regularly to reduce outbreaks.

DHS Zinc Shampoo is ideal for those who suffer from dandruff. Although this condition is experienced by many, it can be quite embarrassing to an extent where it can affect one’s self esteem.

Scalp treatments are also great to help address dandruff. NeoCuticals Scalp Treatment from NeoStrata helps to eliminate dandruff, but also helps to moisturize the dry areas that are affected with dandruff.

Cradle cap in infants is basically dandruff, but will generally only affect newborns, and for a short period of time. Mustela Stelaker helps to soothe and calm inflammation on a young one's scalp.

The Effects of Smoking and Drinking

What we put into our bodies has a great effect on our skin. Smoking and drinking are two habits that will negatively affect the skin and enhance the overall aging process.

Smoking and the use of tobacco are huge contributors of cancer, but have also been proven to cause premature aging and wrinkling of the skin – probably two of the things that we end up spending a fortune on to stop and prevent. Nicotine causes tightening and weakening of the blood vessels and capillaries, which deliver blood to the tissues, causing decreased circulation. As a result the tissues are deprived of essential oxygen, and the skin's surface will appear yellow or gray as well as dull in appearance.

Smokers should treat their skin by hydrating and using oxygenating products regularly. Pevonia Botanica Oxygenating Dry Skin Cream is perfect for smoker’s skin as it contains vitamin C and antioxidants to fight free radical damage. Bioelements Oxygen Cocktail is a serum with the patented ingredient Tissue Respiratory Factor Complex to prevent premature aging.

Alcohol has the opposite effect on the skin, but is just as damaging. Heavy drinking over dilates the blood vessels and capillaries. Eventually, this over dilating and weakening of the capillary walls will cause them to burst. When capillaries burst, they are called couperose or dilated capillaries and appear as tiny red veins on the skin. They may also appear in the eye area as red spots. Alcohol also dehydrates the skin by drawing water out of the tissues.

Guinot Hydrazone Dehydrated is ideal for those experiencing skin dehydration, as it provides hydration to the cells and draws water to the tissues that need it. Yonka Crème 28 – Dehydrated Skin uses a combination of essential oils to provide hydration deep down into the skin's layers.

The Missing Link

By now most of us know how to take care of our skin -- what it needs based on what it lacks. We know how to prevent issues such as wrinkles, fine lines, skin discoloration, sagging, etc. But now there are technological advances that are the missing link in our skin care regimen.

Skin care tools are needed in our skin care regimens to improve our skin as much as possible, as well as maintain our healthy skin. NuFace is revolution to the skin care market. NuFace is a hand-held device that emits an electrical micro-current to relax and firm the facial muscles. The results are immediate and improve with use of this product.

As our skin matures, it starts to loose elasticity and depletes collagen production due to free radical damage. This process causes our skin to behave in certain patterns: healthy and unhealthy. The unhealthy patterns cause muscle tension such as fixed facial expressions like when we frown or smile. NuFace delivers this mild current to the facial muscles and teaches them to behave differently and to ease the tension.

Another technological breakthrough is the DermaNew Microdermabrasion Tool. This gentle hand-held tool, used with a specially formulated crystal cream, helps to eliminate dead skin cells that clog pores, foster acne and enhance the appearance of fine lines. DermaNew has different formulas that can be used by all skin types, even sensitive.

Sunburn Season

It’s very easy to forget your sunscreen during the summer months – and just as easy to acquire a sunburn as a result. Sunburns are extremely dangerous to our health because the burn is to living skin tissue. Sunburn is the leading cause of skin cancer and can be extremely painful. Typically darker skin types experience less sunburn because they have more melanin, which acts as a better barrier against over exposure to the sun.

Sunburns will slowly heal on their own; however, it's best to use products to help speed up this process. Pevonia Botanica After-Sun Soothing Gel uses soothing ingredients such as green tea and chamomile to reduce redness and inflammation. It’s great for face and body.

Phytomer Instant Repair Soothing Moisturizing After-Sun Milk helps to relieve discomfort with marine extracts after sun burn and actually helps to bring out your tan and remove the redness.

Aloe is highly soothing and comforting after too much sun exposure. Credentials Aloe Soothing Gel instantly cools the skin upon contact. Its multifunctional use is ideal for irritation from shaving as well as insect bites.

Eye Brows Defined

Your eyebrows shape your face and give you your own definitive look. Over the years,trends trends in the cosmetic industry have changed from thick, full brows to the thinner look. Now we are back to the more natural brow – but without the bushy appearance.

For many, figuring your ideal brow shape and color can be difficult. Colorescience Get In Shape Eyebrow Stencil – In Perfect Shape allows you to fill in the brows with color and a great shape without having to think about it. Colorescience even offers different shapes to appeal to all brow preferences.

Jan Marini's Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner helps to thicken and lengthen not only lashes but brows too! Say goodbye to bare brows with regular use of this product.

Looking for that perfect shade of brow color? Look no more with Jane Iredale Super Shape Me Eyebrow Kits in three different colors.

Banish Blackheads

Blackheads, also known as comedone or comedo, appear in the skin as a bump or plug in the pores of the face, earning them their name. Blackheads are caused by excessive oil that becomes lodged in the sebaceous gland ducts, more commonly called pores. Excess sebum (oil), bacteria and debris collect in open pores, which then become oxidized, causing the black appearance.

Blackheads are more common for those who have a more oily skin type or for those who experience acneic issues and congestion. Although fairly common, blackheads can be controlled. One way to control blackheads is to have them professionally removed by a skin care specialist, like during a facial.

Another way to treat or reduce blackheads is to use a correct skin care regimen at home. Cleansing morning and night with a specialized cleanser, such as Clarigel Exfoliating Cleanser from Pevonia Botanica, will help to eliminate blackheads as well as reduce sebum production and calm breakouts.

Regular exfoliation is essential to keeping blackheads at bay. As mentioned, blackheads are caused by excessive oil production that becomes mixed with bacteria and debris. Exfoliating regularly with a product like Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant will help to normalize sebum production and slough off dead skin cells that become intertwined with debris and bacteria.

Salicylic acid is a great ingredient that penetrates deep into facial pores and kills bacteria as well as reduces oil in the pore. A salicylic mask such as Pevonia Botanica Purifying Mask will help to draw these impurities out of the skin.

Refine Pores and Minimize Scars

Although the size of our pores is basically genetically determined, and we cannot permanently change the size of them, we can keep the pores clean and reduce the size of them temporarily. Pore size has become a major concern along with facial scarring caused by trauma to the skin, such as acne lesions or surgery.

Although both are difficult concerns to address, there are a few products that will help to minimize scarring to an extent as well as deeply clean the pores and reduce the size. CosMedix Refine 4% combines an active retinol with witch hazel and essential oils to perfect the skin.

Jan Marini Clean Zyme Papaya Cleanser combines papain, or papaya enzymes to also treat scarring and refine pores minimally, but also help to clarify the skin and even the skin tone.

Cleansers for All Skin Types

Cleansing is an essential step in your skin care regimen. Washing your face day and night removes excess sebum, or oil, buildup on the skin, as well as bacteria and dead skin cell accumulation. The mixture of these three things (sebum, bacteria and skin cells) clogs our pores, causing blackheads and whiteheads to form. Regular cleansing with the correct cleanser for your skin is the first step to preventing such skin issues.

Dry skin is lacking in skin moisture and hydration. Bioelements Moisture Positive Cleanser slightly foams to remove impurities, yet hydrates and moisturizes to treat dry or dehydrated skins.

Extremely oily skin types produce more sebum; therefore, they need to be exfoliated more often than drier skins. Glytone Exfoliating Gel Wash for Oily Skin sloughs off dead skin cells with the use of glycolic acid and is specifically formulated to treat oily skin by reducing the amount of oil production.

All-in-One Facial Cleanser with Toner from M.D. Skincare is perfect for normal skin types -- those that do not experience many issues with their skin and their skin is easily maintained. Vitamin E hydrates the skin, while its multi-functional benefits tone the skin as well, replacing a step in your regimen and simplifying your daily routine.

Sensitive or flush skin types require a gentle skin care regimen, one that will not further exasperate their skin. Betaplex Gentle Foaming Cleanser from Cellex-C does just that. It effectively works to remove dead surface cells and debris without stripping the skin of its natural skin protective barrier.

Acne is an extremely common skin issue that it can almost be categorized as an actual skin type. Nearly 90% of people will experience acne at some point in their life, if not consistently throughout. Bioelements Spotless Cleanser kills acne bacteria by using a 2% salicylic acid or beta hydroxy acid, which deeply penetrates the skin to reduce acne where the problem starts.

Oxygen

There is some debate about the role that oxygen plays in our skin's health. While oxygen can act as a free radical, it is also essential for healthy cells throughout the body. The blood delivers the oxygen that we breathe throughout the body. However, there are also topical products infused with oxygen that deliver it directly to the skin.

Oxygen Cocktail and Oxygenation from Bioelements work as a one-two combination to soften the skin, diminishing the appearance of fine lines while also providing antioxidant protection.

For sensitive skin, try Pevonia Oxygenating Sensitive Skin Cream. This desensitizing cream is ideal for use after laser and microdermabrasion treatments to ease redness and bring back a healthy glow.

Oxygen is best absorbed topically as part of a nightly regimen, due to the body's natural repair process it undergoes every night while you sleep. Credentials Night Oxygen Emulsion is a multi-action moisturizing for all skin types that progressively combats signs of premature aging.