What is an essential skincare routine?
We believe that skincare is skin health. Just as you would go to a spin class or drink a green smoothie, using skincare products that strengthen and protect your skin is essential to maintaining your overall health.
That being said, not all skincare products are created equal. The key to healthy skin is found in the quality of the ingredients used in the formulations. That’s why we’re committed to using 100% naturally derived or certified organic ingredients that are proven to be effective and safe from any toxins.
The second component of skin health is frequency and routine. You can have great products on your vanity but if you aren’t quite sure how or when to use them, your skin may not be living up to its full potential.
Let’s bring it back to basics and go through the essentials of a skincare routine: gentle cleansing, moisturizing and barrier support, sun care and SPF sunscreens, and regular exfoliation. These four easy steps will have your skin feeling healthy and vibrant in no time.
Gentle Cleansing – Step 1 of Your Essential Skincare Routine
Start with a clean slate. Use your Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser in the morning and evening to ensure that you begin and end your day with a clean, comfortable complexion.
Although there are a plethora of cleansers and options on the market, many cleansers include skin irritants like fragrance, sulfates, and essential oils. When removing sunscreen, makeup, and other impurities from your face, using a gentle cleanser is key to keeping your skin balanced and calm.
Instead, we’ve added certified organic Aloe Vera Juice and Glycerin to soothe and protect the skin while cleansing. Using a foaming cleanser does not strip your skin of its natural oils while removing the other impurities.
Moisturizing & Barrier Support –
Step 2 of Your Essential Skincare Routine
There’s been a lot of talk about the skin barrier lately and it’s definitely worth exploring.
Your skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin. It helps your skin absorb products and active ingredients but its primary function is to protect your skin from environmental damage like harmful UV rays, pollution, and oxidative stress. It also assists your skin in retaining moisture.
If your skin barrier becomes damaged, it can develop an overabundance of skin issues like irritation, sensitivity, redness, and more. To keep your barrier in good shape, exfoliating and moisturizing your skin regularly is essential.
We’ve included deeply nourishing ingredients like Abyssinian Oil, Shea Butter, and Grape Seed Oil to our Daily Sun Protection Mineral Lotion to support the skin barrier. These ingredients add an extra layer of skin-soothing moisture to your routine.
Sun Care & SPF Sunscreens –
Step 3 of Your Essential Skincare Routine
It’s no secret that we believe in the power of SPF sunscreens and sun protection. Applying sunscreen regularly is the single most important step you can take in protecting your skin against damage and premature aging.
While you may understand the importance of SPF sunscreens in your skincare routine, what you might not know is that the quality of sunscreens and sun protection ingredients varies greatly by brand. We use only Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide as the active ingredient in our SPF sunscreens because it is both effective and non-toxic. Mineral sunscreens provide broad-spectrum protection without the risks to our health and wildlife that chemical sunscreens pose. Interested in which ingredients you should avoid in sunscreens? Explore our list here.
Apply your SPF sunscreen every day (yes, even in winter) as the last step in your skincare routine. Remember to reapply every two hours or more often if you’re sweating or swimming.
Regular Exfoliation –
Final Step of Your Essential Skincare Routine
If you’ve looked in the mirror recently and noticed that your skin may not look as fresh and glowing as it used to, you’re not alone.
About every 30 days, the collagen in our skin helps us produce new skin cells. When we’re young, this regeneration happens frequently but as we age, the process can become sluggish. Our skin may require a little help in removing the older, dead skin cells to reveal the fresh complexion underneath. That’s where exfoliation comes in.
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells and build-up from the outer layer of the skin. In addition to revealing a smooth and glowing complexion, exfoliating can also reduce and fade hyperpigmentation, help treat acne and breakouts, and reduce the signs of skin aging.
If you’re curious about exfoliation, try our Glycolic Peel Overnight Treatment Kit for 5-7 days to start. This glycolic solution features skin-strengthening ingredients like soothing Propanediol, protective Resveratrol, and ultra-hydrating Hyaluronic Acid.
Are you interested in learning more about natural ingredients and how to use them in your routine? Join our newsletter community and be the first to know about new blog posts, exciting product launches, and special skincare promotions.