get to know your bathroom

ever wonder what is lurking in your everyday beauty products?

• could your chap stick actually be drying your lips out?
• could lipstick being contributing to your lip zits?
• could your gritty exfoliant be contributing to your acne?
• could your sensitive skin cleanser actually be making your skin more sensitive?
• could your sunscreen be aging your skin rather than helping to prevent just the opposite?
• could your oil-free, non-comedogenic moisturizer be a contributor to your acne?
• could your natural products be not so natural?
• could your make-up contain carcinogens or be part of your all too consistant breakouts?
• could you be paying for advertising rather than the miracle anti-aging properties of the product?

The cosmetic industry is not regulated by the FDA (even if it were, I am not sure it would be a whole lot better), so the cosmetic industry is a marketing paradise. A lot big name companies spend oodles on advertising their products and little on the actual ingredients in the product.  Ever wonder why that acne cleanser you purchased from Walgreen’s never quite got after your acne, but made your skin nice and dry?  More times than not you are not getting exactly what you think you are getting with skin care.

Because this is a fairly large topic, I will give you a list of ingredients to be on the prowl for.  I have covered this before in another post about what to look for in your make-up, but a refresher can never hurt.

these ingredients could be contributing to your breakouts:

• lanolin- sheep’s sebum.  enough said.  this is in oodles of chap sticks and a key player in lip zits.
• isoproply myristate-  this is in oodles of lipsticks and lovely contributor to lip zits. he is also found in many hand lotions, but is known to cause cracks in the skin hmmm.
• petroleum- yep, this is the same stuff that fuels your cars and it is also in many chap sticks/balms intended to hydrate, but actually dries your lips out. hmmm
• mineral oil- derivative of petroleum. this is the main ingredient in a sensitive skin cleanser recommended by many dermatologists. however, this lovely fella actually aggravates acne via suffocating the skin. delightful.
• petrolatum- derivative of petroleum.  offers the same benefits of mineral oil.
• apricot kernels-  cause micro tears in the skin, which allows for nutrients to escape and bacteria to get in. these guys also promote the spreading of bacteria. if you have an orange tub of these, stop using this on your visage immediately. Use them on your hands and feet if you need to use this product up.

A carcinogen that is in oodles of make-up

• talc- found in powders because of its moisture wicking properties. However, it is closely related to asbestos…

my favorite make-up lines:

• Bare Minerals- the big name in mineral make-up. I like it for the ingredients in it, but I don’t love the thick coverage.

• Jane Iredale- a sophisticated mineral line that is a little bit more pricey, but the make-up quality closely matches more traditional make-up

• Color Science- a great mineral make-up line. their main focus in on sun protection and correcting via using different colors (i.e green cancels out red).

• MAC- has a few good products, but be careful because not all of their products are on “safe list”

• Image Skin Care- has a new line of foundations out that offer amazing coverage and the ingredient declaration is superb. However, I have never tried them, so I cannot fully endorse.

my favorite skin care lines are:

• Image skin care-  I love this line through and through.  I use to cherry pick between different skin care lines to complete my regime. After I discovered Image skin care, I only use their products and my skin has never looked better.  They do not put any ingredients in the product if it does not need to be there.  Their products work and they are priced extremely well. These are the only products I use and sell in my skin care practice. Shameless plug: if you are interested in ordering, please do contact skinspot. You will get a customized routine and specific instructions on how to use to ensure you get the best results out of your products.

• Glytone- I use to use their Mild Gel Wash and I loved it.  This product line is formulated very well and priced just as well.

• IS Clinical-  I use to use their serums.  I adore their Super serum Advance +. However, this line is a little spend-y.

If you are interested in getting a more in-depth consult, contact skinspot.  Get to know what you are really putting on your visage!

Happy Weekend!