Toners

There are many misconceptions about the role of toners and astringents in a skin care routine. Firstly, they are an essential step in the skin care routine. They remove traces of makeup or residue that your cleanser misses, and “prepares” the skin for moisturizing. The term toner, freshener or astringent is often used interchangeably. If you have normal, combination or oily skin use an astringent containing a low percentage of alcohol and skin soothers like allantoin. For normal to dry skin use an alcohol-free freshener with ingredients such as witch hazel and other natural extracts.

Cleansers

Today’s women have the choice of several different brands and types of cleansers. To simplify matters, we group cleansers into two basic categories: “tissue-off” cleansers and “rinse-off” cleansers.

• Tissue-off cleansers which are normally referred to as “cream” or “milk” cleansers have a high oil content. It is these oils, which combine with and help to remove makeup, facial oils, and grime allowing them to be easily wiped away. “Tissue-off” cleansers are less drying and are more suitable for normal to dry skin types.
• Rinse-off cleansers are water-based and incorporate some type of detergent to help remove makeup and excess oils. This type of cleanser is recommended for women with oily or combination skin. It should be mild enough to gently and effectively cleanse your skin without drying. Gels, foaming cleansers and facial washes are normally referred to as “rinse-off” cleansers.

Understanding Your Skin

Believe it or not your skin is the largest organ of your body. It is a living organ which heals and renews itself constantly. It covers your entire body and consists of two clearly defined layers:

• Epidermis is the superficial or outermost layer. In other words, this is the skin we can see and feel. It forms the protective covering. This layer contains no blood vessels but has small nerve endings and is made up of five layers of cells. The pigment called melanin is found in this layer. Melanin protects the sensitive cells beneath, from the harmful effects of the sun. The greater the exposure to sunlight the greater the production of melanin.
• Dermis or the inner layer is located just under the epidermis. This layer is highly sensitive because it contains nerve endings. It also contains numerous blood vessels, lymph vessels, sweat glands, sebaceous glands and hair follicles. These are held together by collagen and elastin fibers, which together give the skin its strength and resilience.

Each hair follicle has a sebaceous gland, which produces sebum. Excess sebum makes your skin look and feel oily. If the neck of a sebaceous gland is clogged, sebum accumulates, giving rise to acne. A deficiency in the production of sebum produces dry skin. Your teenage years could be your best time or your worst time depending on your hormonal activity. Generally, puberty is a bad time for your skin.

If you are spared the onslaught of acne and pimples usually associated with the teenage years, then more than likely your 20’s and 30’s should be trouble free.

During your 20’s your skin should look its best. It can however be adversely affected by allergies, hormonal imbalances, stress, and exposure to the elements.

In your 30’s your skin may begin to lose the bloom of youth. You may begin to see the appearance of dryness and fine lines. The skin tends to be more sensitive and extra special care is required during this period.

In your 40’s your hormone production slows and the skin begins to lose tone and elasticity, giving rise to wrinkles, creases and fine lines. While these changes occur naturally as you age, they can be minimized and controlled by properly caring for your skin. Cleansing, toning and moisturizing your skin twice daily can help you rejuvenate and revive your skin.

Now that you have a better understanding of your skin and how it works, I am sure you will appreciate that the time to begin your personal skin care routine is NOW!

Skin Care

Beauty begins with the proper caring of the skin. Clear, healthy skin is the perfect canvas for makeup.

Over the years the demand for new products has given rise to much hype in the skin care industry. However, most of the claims made have been largely speculative with very few proven in clinical tests. At Sacha it has always been our view that a skin care line should be simple, effective and easy to use. It should have as few ingredients as possible to reduce the possibility of skin irritation. Remember, an ingredient, which is beneficial to one person, could seriously irritate someone else’s skin. In reality, almost all ingredients have the potential to irritate your skin.