Another really good product for mechanical exfoliation is a micro peeling and cleansing cloth. This is basically a special kind of washcloth. I have just always liked to use a washcloth at night to remove my makeup. Even if I am using a rinse off product, I like to use a washcloth to dry my face and then wet it and remove any of the residual cleanser around the edges of my face. These washcloths are made of microfiber have a special weave that helps to mechanically exfoliate dead skin cells. Technically, you can wet one of these washcloths and just remove your makeup without any sort of cleanser. But like I said, I do like to use a cleanser to remove my makeup and any residual makeup with this. It is especially good for removing any kind of residual eye makeup. I ordered these washcloths from www.folica.com  The name of the company is Claroderm. They are called micro peeling and cleansing cloths. They are about half the size of a normal washcloth but I find that they work well.

I use a glycolic acid treatment cream for my chemical exfoliation. I use the cream every night except on the night I use my 2 piece micro delivery peel from Philosophy. Glycolic acid is part of a group of acids called alpha hydroxy acids or AHA’s. These acids are found naturally in plants and fruits. Glycolic acid is actually a sugarcane derivative. It works by loosening dead skin cells and allowing them to slough away, leaving new smooth cells. It also helps to unclog pores and helps with hyperpigmentation. Glycolic acid creams come in different concentrations. If you have never used a glycolic acid cream I would suggest that you start off with a 5% solution and use it about 3 nights a week and then build up. As your skin gets more acclimated to the glycolic acid you can go to a 10% cream. The one I like comes from Reviva (www.revivalabs.com) they carry both a 5% and 10% glycolic acid cream. When you apply the cream it is going to sting a little and this is normal. This is a treatment product and not really a moisturizer. I only use my glycolic acid cream at night and I do not put it on my neck and chest. I then apply a night cream on top of it. If this feels like it stings too much then you can apply your night cream first and then apply the glycolic acid cream. The only night I do not use my glycolic acid cream is the night I use my 2 piece mircro delivery peel from Philosophy since my skin is a little more sensitive from being freshly exfoliated. Although Reviva products are not considered organic they are all natural. This brand is readily available in both most health food stores or you can order it online.

There is another product that I use occasionally if I happen to get a breakout. I do not breakout very often, but every three or four months I might get a few pimples. If I feel this happening what really handles it for me is one product by Proactive called Repairing Lotion. Proactive contains finely milled benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid. In fact it is the only beta hydroxy acid and is derived from the birch or willow tree. Salicylic acid acts much like the alpha hydroxy acids according to the literature. The main difference is that alpha hydroxy acids are water soluble and work best on mature sun damaged skin and beta hydroxy acid is lipid soluble and therefore can penetrate the pores better and works best on skin with blackheads and whiteheads. Benzoyl peroxide is an antibacterial agent. The combination of these two seem to work well on my skin if I get a little breakout. Benzoyl peroxide can be very drying, but the way this product is formulated does not seem to dry out my skin and like I said, I only use it occasionally, and just for the time that I'm having a breakout. You can also just use it as a spot treatment if you get a pimple or two now and then. When I need it, I apply it morning and night and then apply my regular creams on top of it during that time. I do not use my glycolic acid cream when I am using the Repairing lotion. Proactive is not an organic or all natural product, but it is the only thing I have found that works when I get these occasional breakouts. I order mine from www.qvc.com the item number is A31083.

The main reason to use a serum is to add nutrients under the skin which moisturizers are not capable of. There are a lot of different serums out there, and depending on your specific skin needs that will dictate what type of serum you will use. I am in my late 40s and need more firming and hydration. If you are younger and have oily skin, you might choose one that has salicylic acid to help prevent breakouts. Or if you suffer from things such as rosacea or have sensitive skin, you might choose a calming serum.

A serum is typically applied after your toner and before your moisturizer. One of the serums that I use was formulated by Amy Lidman, who is my aesthetician when I am in Florida. She has been in the skincare industry for over 20 years and is very knowledgeable. She stays on the cutting edge of developments in the skin care industry. She is in the process of developing an entire all natural skin care line. You can’t get her products in any stores or salons at this moment. However, you can call and order directly from her. Her number is 727-698-5555. Just tell her that you were referred by June. The serum is simply called Firming Serum. Her products are very reasonably priced and she uses fresh organic and natural ingredients. If you live in the Clearwater, Tampa area you can book an appointment with Amy or go by and pick up your products instead of having them shipped.

I also use a Vitamin C serum since I am over 40. Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen so basically it helps to reduce wrinkles and improve the texture of skin. All woman over the age of 40 need to use a Vitamin C serum. The problem is that Vitamin C is very unstable and breaks down easily unless it is in a powdered form. I found a stable from of Vitamin C from a company out of Switzerland. It is called Complex 31. It is pretty natural. It is not really the consistency of a serum which are normally sort of watery but it is more like a cross between a powder and a liquid and it comes in a tube. It can be ordered through www.complex31.com

Mychelle dermaceuticals also has some very good serums. If you have oily or acne prone skin they have a serum called Clear Skin that has salicylic acid (this is a beta hydroxy acid that is best for skin with whiteheads and blackheads. Beta-hydroxy acids are lipid soluble and penetrate the skin more). They have another serum called Capillary Calming if you suffer from Rosacea. Mychelle’s products are all natural with no funky stuff in them. To see my complete skincare routine and how I use the products and in what order; go to my post: My Skincare Routine.

One great product that you can use as a toner is good old-fashioned rosewater. You just have to make sure that it is 100% percent pure does not have anything synthetic in it. You can go to  www.bulgarianroseotto.com  and get the 100% organic rosewater. Another good brand is from Heritage products, and you can find that on Amazon.com. Just go to Amazon.com and type in Heritage products in the search bar, and it will pull up.

The toner and I am using right now is called Pineapple and Papaya Enzyme Toner and you can order it at  www.brenditasbodyworks.com  It is a non-drying alcohol free toner and it is ideal for balanced, dry, hyperpigmented or mature skin. It has 96% organic ingredients. Even though this is the toner I am using right now, I always keep a bottle of rose water on hand, because after I put all my treatment products on my face at night the last thing I like to do is to spray my face with some rosewater. Rosewater has healing and hydration properties. Also in the morning after I finish putting my make up on, I spray rose water on my face and take a makeup sponge and just press it into my skin. This gives me some nice hydration and a nice glow.

My husband’s skin is a little on the oily side for right now he is using a toner from Gunilla of Sweden, and it is called Leroset Purifying Toner. This is one of the steps in their acne treatment line which is mostly natural. I have a friend who has problem skin who is testing the 4 step system for me now and seems to be having very good results. You can find this brand on Amazon.com

During the day, I use a glycolic acid eye and throat gel first and then I use my daytime moisturizer on top of that. The eye and throat gel is from Reviva and is called Liposome Activated Glycolic Acid Eye and Throat Gel. Reviva products can be found in most health food stores or you can order it from  www.revivalabs.com   This is a mostly natural product. You can go to my section on moisturizers to see which moisturizer I recommend for daytime. The product directions say to use sparingly at night just two weeks per month but since this doesn't combine well with my dry oil, I use it during the day. Just make sure you're wearing a sunscreen on your neck and décolleté. Glycolic acid, which is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) makes the skin a little more sensitive to the sun so it is always important to wear a sunscreen when using AHA's. To see my recommended sunscreen go to my section on moisturizers.

I do use this product around my eyes at night and since it is a serum, I put it on first before I put my eye cream on. The eye cream that I'm using right now is from a company called 100% pure. These are all organic and very clean products. I am currently using the Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream. Caffeine will help with dark circles. I use this both day and night, and so does my husband. You can order it from  www.qvc.com  the item number is A82303. When applying your night cream, be sure to use your ring finger and just tap it and gently all around the orbit of the eye and up into the hairline.

I just ordered an eye cream duo from Fran Dreshcer's line which just debuted on www.hsn.com  It is a great product and is not full of chemicals and preservatives. She is a cancer survivor so she is very aware of not putting chemicals on your skin. I feel like I need a little more hydration around my eyes now that winter is approaching. The day one is an eye gel that smells like cucumbers. The night one smells like Jasmine. The scent is a bit much for me at night so I am using the eye gel for day at night and the cream for day. I like the product and may try other things from her line.

I use different products from time to time, but these are the things I'm currently using. I am always looking for better and more effective products, and I will keep you posted on those as I find them. To see when I use all my products and in what order go to my post: My Skincare Routine.

In the morning as part of my treament and moisturizing I use a skin brightening lotion. It is a very light lotion that has glycolic and fruit acids to help slough off those dead skin cells that leave the complexion dull. Although it says it is an anti-acne and skin brightening treatment, I use it for its brightening effects. It is very light and soaks right in. I suppose if you had very young skin you might not need a moisturizer with this but I use it in conjunction with my moisturizer. You can purchase it at www.brenditasbodyworks.com and it is called Glowshine Anti-Acne, Skin Brightening Lotion. Her products are all organic and very nice. They are also very reasonably priced.

The moisturizer that I use in the morning is from a company called Global Healing. Their website is  www.ghchealth.com the name of the cream is called Parfait Visage. When you go to the website click on organic skin care on the left-hand side of the opening page and this will take you to all of their organic skin care products. Just scroll down until you see Parfait Visage. This is an all natural product. It has a Manuka Honey and frankincense which are both very good for the skin.

No matter what your skin type is you need to wear a sunscreen everyday (on you face). I have tried a lot of different sunscreens in the organic and natural arena. This is one product where I only want to use something natural. There are basically two ways to block the damaging rays from the sun and that is with a physical or chemical barrier. I do not like sunscreens that use chemical barriers, because these chemicals have been shown to be hormone disrupters and mimic estrogen in the body and some are believed to be possible carcinogens. I prefer to use a sunscreen that uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide or a combination of both. These provide a physical barrier to the sun and are both very safe.

I think I finally found a sunscreen that fits my criteria (no chemicals and light enough to wear over my regular moisturizer). It is called Burnout Clean and Clear Zinc Oxide Sunblock SPF 32 and you can order it from  www.brenditasbodyworks.com Go to the homepage and click “all products” in the upper left-hand corner and you'll find it in her complete list of products. She also carries a sunscreen for children, which I would highly recommend if you have kids. Kids immune systems are more fragile and they are more susceptible to the damaging effects of toxic chemicals so you should try to keep their exposure to toxic chemicals as low as possible.

Another point worth mentioning is the subject of nanoparticles. For a size comparision, a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. A nano particle is basically a very very small particle of a particular element. The problem with nanoparticles is that they are so small that they can get through most of the barriers that we have in our system and be absorbed directly into cells and once they are in there is no way of getting them out. Nanoparticles have made their way into the sunscreen industry. At this point I would stay away from anything with nanoparticles. Even though zinc oxide is considered safe, I would not use any product that had zinc oxide nanoparticles in it. When you use zinc oxide it provides a physical barrier that protects you from the sun and is not absorbed into your skin or body and is harmless. But nanoparticles of zinc oxide can be absorbed directly into your body and into your bloodstream and like any nanoparticle be absorbed directly into your cells. There is a huge concern of nanoparticles safety at this point, and therefore I would recommend not using anything at all, even things that are not applied to your body, that use nanotechnology.

The moisturizer that I am currently using at night is from Dr. Mercola. You can find it at  www.mercolahealthyskin.com I am actually using his Organic Cupuacu Day Moisturizer as my night cream. I really like it and I love the smell (it has a light citrusy smell, which I find very pleasing). I just found it to be a bit too heavy for my day moisturizer. If you have dry skin you could certainly use it as your day moisturizer. This is 100% organic product and is very, very nice. This is the first skincare product that I have used from him and I am very impressed. His products are also very reasonably priced for the quality you are receiving.

My husband’s skin is more on the oily side and right now I have him on a daytime moisturizer from a company called Gunilla of Sweden. It is called Lerosatt Moisture Matte. This company makes a line of acne products that are pretty natural. You can order it off of  www.Amazon.com Just type in Gunilla of Sweden in the search bar and it will pull up their products.

The Parfait Visage (as mentioned above) would work as a night cream if your skin is more on the normal to oily side.