Keeping our skin healthy shouldn’t be a difficult or complicated task. However, there are some really simple mistakes that we all make from time to time that can be detrimental to the health of our skin both short and long term. Here are the top 5 mistakes I commonly see:
1. Over cleansing
This is perhaps the most common skincare misstep. We all seem to think that squeaky clean skin is healthy skin but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every time we cleanse our skin, we’re not only stripping it of dirt, food and make up, we also remove naturally produced oils in the skin, as well as some of the microbiome (the good bacteria, microorganisms etc) that helps maintain our skin’s barrier. Too much cleansing can both dry out skin and make it oily because the skin tries to compensate for the oils that have been taken away by producing more. This can cause an oily T zone and make acne more prevalent. Over cleansing also disrupts the microbiome, making skin more likely to be reactive and flare up skin conditions e.g., eczema and rosacea.
Tip: Most days skin only needs to be cleansed once and this is best done in the evening when skin is at its dirtiest. I also highly recommend using a cream cleanser (like our Refining Cleanser) as they are less likely to disrupt the skin. In the morning, simply splash your face with water and pat dry before applying skincare.
2. Using too much product
This one is unique to Clémence products because of their potency (you may have come from another skincare brand which you had to lather on to see an effect). So when you’re applying our products, remember that less is more. Clémence products don’t contain any water or fillers, and so you’re only applying ingredients designed to have a direct effect on skin. By applying too much product, you’re going to saturate your skin in actives and this makes it more likely to react and/or cause acne.
Tip: Take a look at the skincare routine recommendations card which shows roughly how much of each product you should be applying. As a rough guide, serums are 3-5 drops and moisturisers are pea sized amounts.
3. Not exfoliating regularly
Exfoliation is one of those skincare steps that most of us think is optional. The thing is, if you don’t exfoliate, you’re not getting the most from your skincare and you could be hampering your skin’s return to health. The primary goal of exfoliation is to remove the top layer of dead skin cells and uncleansed make-up and grime from your skin. This not only helps your skincare products to absorb better but it also helps to clarify skin, leaving skin looking more evenly toned and fresh. The secondary goal of exfoliation is to stimulate skin cell turnover, pushing fresh cells to the surface and speeding up skin repair. This is particularly important if you are trying to rejuvenate skin that has either been damaged by acne (scarring) and pigmentation.
Tip: Exfoliate with our 2 in 1 Face Exfoliant + Mask at least once a week. You can also exfoliate gently on a daily basis by using our organic bamboo face cloth with the Refining Cleanser.
4. Not giving skin time to adapt to new products
The thing about skin is that it’s a creature of habit, a bit like a toddler really. It gets used to what you put on it (or don’t put on it) on a regular basis and will generally get cranky if you change its routine. This is because of 2 things: the microbiome (the healthy, living bacteria and microorganisms that live on our skin) and the pattern of cleansing (which affects natural skin oil production). So when you change to Clémence from another brand you may well see a disruption in your skin. It’s important to give your skin time to adapt to the new routine and ingredients, and not pull the plug too soon.
Tip: skin cell turnover is generally around 30 days and so this is how much time you need to give your skin to adapt to new products. If something persists that you’re not sure about, please reach out to our team for advice.
5. Not applying skincare to neck and décolletage
I myself am guilty of this one sometimes. I get in a bit of a rush and just focus on looking after my face. Having said this, I know that its super important to also cleanse and moisturise my neck and décolletage because this skin is of a similar thinness and will start to show deterioration and ageing more quickly if not.
Tip: apply your products when you’re straight out of the shower or bath so that your neck and decolletage skin is exposed and you’re not worried about getting products on clothing.
Sunscreen is something that we all know we're supposed to wear on a daily basis and it gets especially drummed into us from a beauty perspective as the best way to maintain the youthfulness of our skin. The thing that bothers me is that there is a lot of misinformation about the level of SPF required and the benefit to skin. I'm here to bust those myths!
The skin on our bodies is often neglected as we tend to focus on our face and figure our bodies will just look after themselves. Big mistake!
Because our skin is our largest organ and most of what we put on it gets absorbed, choosing high-quality products for the body is so very important. They need to be 100% natural and as organic as possible, to avoid causing skin reactions, disrupting our hormones, and not adding to the toxin burden on our liver.
There are also some simple things you can do to look after your body that will reduce dryness, stop eczema from flaring up and keep it glowing.
The summer holidays are almost here and for many of us it's time to think about packing our bags for a little time away, if not a little time out. When I'm packing for our 2 week annual beach holiday it has to be simple and light-weight. I don’t have the space nor the time to spend hours on my skin and so I make sure to only include products which will keep my skin in top shape, quick smart.
