What I’ve Learned About Skin Since I Started Working at Kneaded Relief Day Spa
Hi! My name is Statia and I started working as a Guest Service team member at Kneaded Relief last summer. Since that time I’ve learned so much that I never knew about skin care! Some of what I’ve learned seems obvious, while some was rather surprising. I thought I’d share some of that knowledge with you all today.
When I started here at Kneaded Relief my skin care routine was pretty basic. I used your standard drugstore face washes that were full of Salicylic Acid and micro beads – the only two ingredients I knew of at the time. And that was it. I never used a moisturizer, no toners, only the occasional sunscreen application. Thanks to BioElements and PCA I now use a much more comprehensive skin care routine, and thanks to my Esthetician Kelsey, one that is better for my skin type.
Here’s a little bit of what I’ve learned so far:
Wear Sunscreen!
Over the course of the year I’ve learned that the old Baz Luhrmann song about Sunscreen was absolutely right; everyone needs to wear sunscreen! 85-90% of aging in our skin comes from the sun’s harmful UV rays, so wearing an SPF daily is the smartest thing we can do to protect ourselves. I’m 27 and I’m not saying I’m old, but I made a promise to my niece I’d never get old so I have to ward off those fine lines and wrinkles as best as I can! Sunscreen is one of the easiest and best ways to do that.
Peels are amazing!
So far I’ve had three chemical peels and I couldn’t be a bigger fan. A lot of people still assume that a chemical peel is some scary disgusting service that will make your skin fall off but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. PCA Peels are designed for people who have lives! The way a chemical peel works is by penetrating into your skins top layer of skin and activating your cells. When your cells slow down, aging signs increase, so it is important to keep those cells hustling! PCA peels are specifically formulated to increase cell turnover. They get your skin moving and push the dead cells out, which is why you appear to physically “peel.” In reality, it is less of a peel and more of a “slough,” but every person will have a different experience with their shedding.
After each peel I’ve had I notice that my skin doesn’t break out as much as it does without peels, my skin feels brighter, and the results last until my next peel (I aim for doing a peel every 4 weeks, but if you have acne or aging skin you can do peels more often).
Your Esthetician knows best
As I mentioned, before I ever had a professional facial I had no idea what I was doing. I bought face wash with Salicylic Acids because I thought that was the only thing that got rid of acne. Little did I know that those types of acids were completely wrong for my face. During my first facial, Kelsey assessed my skin and told me that the type of face wash I was using was totally wrong for the type of acne I was experiencing. She set me up with a face wash from BioElements that had the right ingredients for my acne type and skin type. I’ve been using it for a year now and I love it, plus I haven’t even come close to running out even though I use the product every single day.
Ingredients Matter!
There are so many different skin types out there and so many different ingredients to consider when looking at skin care products. Many people have topical sensitivities to ingredients and they may not even realize it. Or, like some, may know they have an allergy to almonds, tree nuts, or even cucumber. Your esthetician is your greatest resource when it comes to ingredients. They are trained and know what to look for when looking at an ingredient list so that you are not using something harmful for your skin.
The other thing to consider when looking at an ingredients list is that if you are using products from several different lines you may be mixing ingredients that are actually harming your skin. While one product may be working to hydrate, another product could have an ingredient that counteracts the other, leading to increased skin sensitivity. Licensed Estheticians are trained to know what to look out of in ingredients lists, making it that much easier for you to understand!
Wash your face at night
This is one of those revelations that now seems so obvious to me, but before I knew I had never thought about. During a particularly bad breakout at a season change last year, I asked one of our Estheticians Nicki what I should do to clear up my skin. She asked me what I was currently using and when I used it. When I told her that I only washed my face once a day during my morning shower she stopped me. She said that if I’m only going to wash my face once a day it needed to be at night. Your face builds up all sorts of toxins and sweat during the day, not to mention make up! (I was removing makeup but I use makeup wipes which actually aren’t the best for your skin.) By only washing my face in the morning, I was allowing all of that dirt and oil to penetrate into my skin overnight, making me break out. Now I try to wash my face twice a day to remove all the excess dirt and oil from my pores. I’m not saying that I’m earning a 4.0 in nightly face washing but I’m improving and I can see that my skin is doing better as well.
You should start anti-aging routines early
Like I said, I’m 27 – not old, but no longer a fresh faced babe of 19 or 20. I used to make fun of my older sister for fretting over her miniscule wrinkles and signs of aging, but karma gave me a swift kick in the butt when I realized I too was starting to get fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes. Peels and SPF are great ways to fight aging but for a full anti-aging routine you need to start early. The three products every person should be using for anti-aging are Retinols, Vitamin C and an SPF. When used together, they activate and protect the skin, reducing aging signs before they can start.
Oily skin still needs to be moisturized
Professional products use two types of ingredients to moisturize the skin; humectants and occlusives. Humectants work by bringing moisture from the dermis into the epidermis (top layer of skin) and occlusives work by creating a barrier on top of the skin to stop moisture from escaping from your skin. Even if you have oily skin, you still need these two ingredients to make sure your skin is fully hydrated. If you aren’t using a moisturizer, your skin might overproduce oils, but once you start using a skin care regimen, your skin will stabilize leaving you fresh faced and happy!
You may have to switch moisturizers in the winter/summer
Speaking of moisturizers, your skin may need a different moisturizer in the summer than it does in the winter. Winter air is much dryer than our humid Wisconsin summers, therefore a lot of our clients switch moisturizers seasonally. Schedule your facials at least seasonally, and monitor your skin during season changes. Then your esthetician can assess your skin and tell you if you should try a different moisturizer between the two different times of year.
Facials can be even more relaxing than a massage!
Ok, this is maybe just me, but I feel like every time I go get a facial I’m at a level 11 on the stressed-out scale, but by the time I leave I feel refreshed and calm again. The first time I had a facial I fell asleep, which had never happened for me during a massage. There’s something so relieving about having your skin cleansed, toned, moisturized and protected that puts me in a trance! My favorite service is the Relief Facial – not only is it an amazing facial, but the massage on my face, neck, shoulders and feet make it a total package service!
I hope you have learned a little bit about how to have a healthy glow and skin that is clear and happy! I’m so excited to share with you the little bit I know about skin care since starting here. If you have any questions, our Esthetics team at Kneaded Relief is amazing and will answer anything you could think of!
Hope to see you all soon for your Kneaded Relief Facials!
