What Basic Skin Care Should I Be Using?

I know there are SO many products out there and I understand that although you may want to be proactive and take care of your skin, you also don't want to break the bank in developing your beauty regimen.
Let me inform you on the key products that should be the standard in your bathroom cabinet. Having these essentials will ensure you're delivering the adequate ingredients to your skin, without investing too much time or layering too much product.

Consider this your Skin Care Basics 101.

The top 5 products you should be investing in are…


1. You want an adequate face wash that will remove your makeup, ideally without stripping your skin or breaking down your lipid barrier (remember, this is how dehydration and sensitivities begin!)

In other words, you want something that is NOT going to make your skin tight-feeling after you've washed. I know you oily people love this, but you can feel clean without having the taughtness. One that I've found that I find very effective for all skin types is the Yes To Carrots cleanser at any of your local drugstores. It may initially feel very creamy, but when you've rinsed it off entirely, your skin will feel amazing, no matter what your skin type!

When you don't clean your skin properly, you're building layers of dirt and your products won't be able to penetrate properly to do their job, so spend a good amount of time washing your face, and do it twice if you need to. If you have a Clarisonic– bonus.

2. You need a weekly exfoliation, and NO, I'm not referring to a scrub. I know scrubs are the standard, but they really don't do much. It's like microdermabrasion (which I also disapprove of): it'll feel great the first couple of days and that's it.

Microdermabrasion is worse because after the initial softness, your skin actually feels really tight and dry. This is due to harshly breaking down the lipid barrier and allowing for total trans-epidermal water loss (aka- dehydration and losing water in your skin). Although they're gentler, scrubs are also abrasive and break down the lipid barrier.

An exfoliant I LOVE is Polish by Osmosis. It's sold only to professionals, so I can't provide link. However, write me at dermadivas@gmail.com and I will hook you up.

3. The most important step in your skin care regimen will be your serum. Serums are specifically designed with a smaller molecular structure because they're meant to penetrate deeper and be the actual corrective portion of your skin care. If your skin concerns are anti-aging, then you want an anti-aging serum. If you're oily and have problems with acne, you want a serum designed to treat this. If you have rosacea or sensitive/reddened skin, then you want to incorporate a soothing and calming, anti-inflammatory serum.

Serums are meant to be layered under a moisturizer and are designed to work synergistically with a hydrator/moisturizer.

I have clients often ask me: do I really need all these products?

The answer is, YES.

All products are developed to work at different levels in the skin (again they're designed with different molecular sizes and weight for this purpose), and problems don't just happen on the epidermis (the most superficial skin you touch). It happens deeper than that.

If you’re going to invest money in anything, let it be in a good serum.

4. Textures and ingredients will vary depending on your skin type and condition, but a moisturizer is essential in maintaining a healthy lipid barrier balance. Just as I mentioned a serum is important to work deeper to correct skin issues, a moisturizer is going to strengthen your protective barrier to keep water and other nutrients INSIDE the skin.

I love Quench by Osmosis. Again, write me and I’ll help you out.

5. And last but not least, you need a broad spectrum sunblock to reduce inflammation, and maintain all the improvements you make with your skin care (you didn't think I'd forget an SPF, did you?) Not protecting your skin really just results in a waste of money. It's like spending money on a really nice car (I like Mustangs!) and not buying the insurance. What's the point? I love Eminence Sun Defense Minerals because they go on dry, and regardless if you have dry or oily skin, it will feel light and look very natural. Acne clients especially love this!

Remember that not sunblocks are created equal. Refresh your memory and read our article on what make's an effective, broad-spectrum sunblock.

With these basics in place, your skin will be very happy with you and it should show! I recommend having a few different serums on hand to treat the different skin conditions you may be facing, as this changes with weather, stress, environment and medications.

You're now ready to combat any skin issue with your complete Basic Skin Care arsenal.

Your beauty blogger,
Marcella.