Clean the Slate

With summer days behind you, it’s time to see how your skin has fared after long, sunny afternoons of soccer games, poolside fun, family picnics, and beach getaways. Even with your daily dose of sunscreen, your complexion may be looking less than lustrous right about now. Before you send dull skin on its way, consider what’s going on above and below the surface.

We often pay more attention to evidence of the sun’s scorching UVB rays (hello sunburn), but it’s the aging UVA rays that can do far more insidious damage to the texture, quality and tone of our skin. For example, every time unprotected skin is exposed to UVA rays, skin cells in that area produce more melanin (or pigment), resulting in dark spots and a drab, uneven complexion.

Since evidence of sun damage is cumulative, it often shows up more dramatically in our twenties and thirties. Even if you feel like you’ve had that sprinkling of spots on your nose, cheeks or forehead forever, think again. No one is born with freckles. While there is a genetic tendency to develop dark areas or uneven pigmentation, sun exposure is a critical factor in bringing out freckles and it greatly accelerates visible signs of aging.

Now’s your chance to perk up post-summer skin. Just remember that sun exposure doesn’t just appear (or disappear) overnight, so be patient. Make sure your daily skincare routine includes exfoliation (to remove dead dulling skin), and look for ingredients like Vitamin C to help even out skin tone. REVERSE Brightening Regimen is an effective way to clean the slate, evening and brightening tone while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles—so you can look forward to younger-looking skin this fall.

Does Your Face Need to Work Out Too?

First published on well&good.com

You hit up HIIT regularly, tuck and pulse with the best of them, and you live for vinyasa (and savasana!). But have you ever done brow burpees or face yoga? That’s the next frontier in fitness, according to a new breed of skin-care experts who say that working out isn’t just for your bod.

A centuries-old practice that was reportedly a beloved beauty ritual among Chinese empresses, facial toning is an ancient technique that’s getting a modern makeover thanks to salons (or should we call them studios?) like FaceLove Fitness in New York City and FaceGym in London. You actually can tone and sculpt your face, without the use of products (and without sweating!) using facial exercises that target your 43 facial muscles, they say. And judging by the growing list of clients (including among celebs like Lily Allen and Rita Ora), it’s working.

“Muscle has memory and exercise is accumulative, so you really can tone, sculpt, and define the face over time,” says Rachel Lang, co-founder of FaceLove Fitness. “It also improves bone density and muscle mass,” she says, which prevents sagging and boosts collagen production.

Don’t worry—doing resistance training with your chin is not as strenuous as swinging a kettle bell. And you know that endorphin boost you get after working out? The same applies when you exercise your facial muscles. “We like to say we’re enhancing your face joy,” says Lang.

Ready for some neck-up strength training? Here’s how it works—and the benefits you might see.

Photo: FaceLove Fitness

So what’s a face workout like?

At FaceGym, it’s structured like your typical sweat sesh: “We first warm up your muscles through massage, then go into ‘cardio’—which is [a facial massage that’s] all about detox,” explains Inge Barnett, the studio’s founder who was so obsessed with what Barry’s Bootcamp did for her body, she created something that did the same for the face.

“Next is sculpting, where we use both our hands and the incredible machines we have—like our FaceGym Pro, an electrical muscle stimulation device—which helps lift, tone, and tighten, followed by a stretching cool-down,” she says.

The FaceLove Fitness sessions, on the other hand, begin with aromatherapy and deep breathing, which propels the lymphatic elimination system, Lang says. The warmup consists of a massage that releases neck and shoulder tension—which improves the symmetry of your face, she explains. After that, the aesthetician rolls what looks like a mini Pilates ball all over your face to stretch out the muscles; according to Lang, this “aids in tension release and lymphatic draining.”

And then: “strength training,” which, yes, involves reps. “We ask you to move your muscles in certain ways as our hands become little free weights providing resistance,” she says. One example: the “face burpee,” where the facialist pushes down on your eyebrows and asks you to push them up for five seconds—which isolates and defines those muscles. To finish up, a jade roller—the facial version of a foam roller—is used to soothe your muscles and smooth your skin during a five-minute “cool down” period.

The benefits of facial fitness

The FaceGym and FaceLove Fitness pros say their regimens stimulate collagen production, resulting in a lifted, toned, and tightened face.

“Like with the gym, however, there are no shortcuts—it’s all about maintenance,” Barnett says. There is one big difference, she adds: “You don’t have to do anything—our trainers do the work for you.”

If you want to get an at-home facial fitness routine going, FaceGym sells their ball (“This you can use on pressure points to release tension,” says Barnett), FaceGym Pro, and a jade roller online, while FaceLove Fitness offers up their mini ball and rollers from their NYC location.

Whether you’re at home or in a salon, consider this your chance to work a whole new set of muscles—and feel fit all over. (Soreness not necessary.)

Surprising Shower Habits that are Making You Break Out

This article was first featured on People.com

 So Bad:

1. Taking long, super hot showers

“Doing this isn’t a great idea,” says NYC dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., since exposing your skin to super hot water for lengthy periods of time can strip skin of essential oil and can lead to inflammation. Why exactly is this so bad? When your skin is inflamed, it makes it more difficult to treat acne.

2. Using the same wash cloth all week (or even two washes in a row!)

Yes, you read that right; we said “two washes in a row.” Dr. Zeichner explains that reusing a wash cloth without cleaning it in between means you’re potentially putting mold and bacteria back onto your face. Ick. And the longer you go without cleansing the cloth, the more mold and bacteria will build up. Double ick.

3. Skipping moisturizer post-shower because you have oily skin

It sounds counter intuitive, but forgoing hydration because you’ve got oily skin only sets you up for an oilier (and more acne-prone) complexion. “Skin hydration is separate from oil,” Zeichner explains, adding that it’s possible to have shine, but still be lacking in hydration. And if your skin is dry (“Remember that some acne medications can dry out skin,” he says), it’s going to produce more oil and potentially break out more.

So Good:

Moisturizing right when you get out of the shower.

Women with oily complexions may not feel like they need it, but an oil-free moisturizer won’t clog pores and will help prevent breakouts for clear, even-looking skin. 

Face the Facts on Skin Cancer Risks and Tanning

As summer winds down, some women and teen girls are heading to tanning salons to prolong their sun-kissed glow. This indoor tanning trend continues—despite warnings from the American Cancer Society, despite the FDA proposing restrictions on tanning bed access for minors, and despite a recent wave of social media selfies posted by lifelong tanning bed patrons revealing severe skin cancer wounds.

Instead of jeopardizing your skin and health, it’s time to face the facts about sun tanning and skin cancer risks, and consider safer ways to get your glow on (sunless tanner, anyone?).

MYTH #1: Skin cancer is more of a concern for older adults.

Though melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer) is most commonly diagnosed in adults over 60, the American Academy of Dermatology ranks melanoma as the second most common form of cancer for women aged 15 to 29—and it’s a disease that’s growing faster among females than males. Exposure to UV light is also the most preventable risk factor, so why not take steps to spare your skin? That means applying broad spectrum sunscreen daily and wearing protective clothing.

MYTH #2: A few tanning sessions a month won’t do much harm.

This reasoning follows a slippery slope, because the potential damage to your skin seriously adds up over time. The risk of melanoma is about 60% higher for people who began using indoor tanning devices before the age of 35, and melanoma risk increases with the number of total hours, sessions, or years used. In short, the younger you start tanning, the greater your risk of developing skin cancer.

MYTH #3: Artificial tanning lamps aren’t as dangerous as the sun’s rays.

Within seconds of entering a tanning bed, your body is exposed to roughly 12 times more ultraviolet (UVA) light than you’d get from the sun. That’s UVA, as in the “aging” rays, which penetrate deep into the dermis, causing wrinkles, dark spots, skin cell damage, and—most concerning—DNA mutations that may eventually lead to skin cancer. Research shows that indoor tanning may cause upwards of 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year.

MYTH #4: Tanning is the main cause of skin cancer.

While tanning doesn’t automatically cause melanoma, ultraviolet exposure (from the sun or tanning beds) does greatly increase your risk of melanoma, as shown by numerous studies. Even weighed against other contributing factors of skin cancer risk (having fair skin that burns easily, being a redhead who freckles, and having a history of blistering childhood sunburns), exposure to UV light is still the most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers.

Why jeopardize your health, when you can achieve a natural, safer tan that’s made in the shade? Show off a radiant glow year-round with ESSENTIALS Foaming Sunless Tan. And of course, avoid the sun and apply broad spectrum UVA sunscreen when headed outside.

Get skin savvy this fall and spread the word that healthy skin is beautiful skin.

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Guest Post: Why I Switched from Natural Facial Products to Rodan + Fields

Guest Post written by Haley Hobson.

This post has been a long time coming. As silly as it sounds, I’ve wrestled with my thoughts and rationale, wondering how I would explain myself and my decisions after publishing past blog posts that contradict what I’m about to write.

In a nutshell, I’m going to tell you why the girl who endorsed natural, organic beauty products made the switch to Rodan + Fields products. You’re probably raising your eyebrows, wondering how I could be a sellout to the natural beauty movement or simply hoping I don’t clog your newsfeed. Either way, just hear me out.

The Backstory

Last summer, when my youngest of three was about 6 months old and I had hit the 4-year mark of limited sleep, I called up a friend who sells Rodan + Fields and told her I wanted to give it a shot, that I was tired of looking worn out and blah.

Truthfully, my face reflected what my body felt. Physically, I was sleep deprived and stretched thin, but despite that I could tell an improvement in my skin after using the Rodan + Fields Redefine regime for nearly three months. Of course, when it came time to reorder my regime, I asked my friend to postpone it. Why? Because a) it was expensive and we were trying to minimize not just things but spending in anticipation of our year-long RV adventure, and b) because I wanted to use natural or organic beauty products.

Fast forward nine months, and I’ve tried countless natural beauty products: shampoos, facial oils, foundations, mascaras, face cleansers, lotions, etc. I’ve found effective natural shampoos that actually sud, an organic CC cream that I love and a natural mascara that doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes. But what I haven’t found is a great skin regime that works for me.

I don’t have perfect skin, but I don’t have horrible skin either. I can use makeup to fake brightness, but without makeup (which is me 75% of the time now and likely 100% of the time on our RV trip) my skin is a bit dull. And the more I age, the more I notice the emergence of darker spots, expanding pores and fine lines. And that doesn’t even include the monthly hormone-prompted blemishes that have gotten worse post-babies (what?!).

So yes, I’ve found several natural organic facial oils that leave my face super moisturized and soft. But that’s where the benefits end. Have they brightened my face, evened my skin tone or helped minimize my pores or fine lines? Nope. Have they actually caused more facial blemishes in the form of clogged pores since using them? Maybe.

I could blame my skin on my hormone roller coaster, nearly always pregnant or nursing the past 5 years. I could blame my skin on the fact that I love cheese, and dairy is commonly linked to breakouts. I could blame my skin on my lack of sleep since having children, and the fatigue that comes from caring for kids in general. I could blame my skin on the fact that I work out a few times a week, which means lots of sweating. There are so many reasons I could cite.

But they don’t really matter. Because despite all those reasons, Rodan +Fields has been the only facial care routine that has cut through all those maybe-sorta reasons. The Redefine regime worked despite the fact that I was nursing my baby round the clock. It worked despite what foods I ate. It worked despite my fatigue. And it worked despite my sweaty workout tendencies.

My Rationale

Do I wish Rodan + Fields used all natural ingredients? Yes. But do I think Rodan + Fields products would be as effective if they used all natural ingredients? No. I’ve used a slew of natural facial products and none have come close to the changes I’ve seen in my skin from using Rodan + Fields.

The way I see it, much of life is a balancing act—balancing work, family life, school, social life, etc. It’s about balancing the get-tos and the have-tos. I’ve taken this same balanced approach to my own self-care and that of my family’s.

Do I still bathe my kids with organic bath soaps? Yes.

Do I still use aluminum-free deodorant? Yes.

Do I still oil pull with organic coconut oil? Yes.

But do I still put synthetic diapers on my kids? Yes.

Do I still indulge in Chick-fil-a from time to time? Yes.

Do I still use gasoline to fuel my car? Yes.

Do I still get my daily dose of chocolate? Yes.

Besides just using Rodan + Fields products, I’m now selling them. Why? Many reasons come to mind. Because I want to offset my own cost of using the products. Because I’m up for a challenge now that I’m not in the corporate world. Because I’d love to say yes to more expensive activities when we travel the country. Because I want to use my whole brain every day—not just my mom brain. Because I can do it all online while we’re on our RV trip. Ultimately, because why not?

Kansas City Fall Open House!

It's always fun to have an Open House in the Fall to get together with friends and customers to play with all the Rodan + Fields products over a glass of wine!  We had a blast!

Part of my growing team!

Becky, Me, Angie, Natalie

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Balls

I made this for my KC Fall Open House this week and they are SO yummy and addictive! But they have so many ingredients good for your skin I had to include the recipe here!

Ingredients 

• 3 cups dry, uncooked oatmeal (I used gluten-free thick cut oats)
• 1 cup all-natural Pumpkin Puree
• 1 cup all-natural Peanut butter, or Almond butter
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4-6 Tbsp ground flax seeds (if ‘dough’ seems too wet, then I add more ground flax, if it’s too dry, add less…start with a smaller quantity)
• 1 cup small chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, chopped peanuts, coconut flakes, or any combination of mix-ins that equal 1 cup total.
• 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips. You could use dark chocolate/cacao pieces, or just skip them altogether.

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl until very thoroughly mixed.
2. Roll into balls of about 1″ in diameter (mine were a bit larger). Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Balls Prep http://cleanfoodcrush.com/pumpkin-energy-balls/
3. Place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper & freeze one hour.
4. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

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My Rodan + Fields Sales Team!

LOVE my Rodan + Fields Team! Here are few of us from a Fall Open House we did this week! If you want the BEST skincare around OR if you want to get paid to help your friends get great skin - or if you want BOTH - message me! We are having way too much fun!

{Becky, Me, Angie, Natalie}

Not pictured: Cassie, Becky, Molly

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Imitation is Sure Flattering

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  

They can imitate our packaging but there is no way

 they can imitate what is IN our products.

A Glowing Skin Menu

First published on Well & Good.com

Sakara Life, the clean, plant-based meal delivery service beloved by trendy vegans, is collaborating with one of the OGs of natural beauty, Tata Harper, for a limited-edition Eat Pretty Program. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a week of meals and elixirs filled with ingredients picked specifically for their ability to make your skin glow. Beauty comes from within, after all.

Sakara’s already known for its seasonal, mostly local ingredients, but it’s not often we get the chance to eat what clean beauty expert Harper favors to keep her own complexion lustrous.

“I love foods that are hydrating and full of antioxidants,” Harper says. “These foods feed your skin and supply the entire body with nutrients and energy. Vitamin C, beta carotene, healthy fats, and superfoods like spirulina and blue green algaes all help create a radiant complexion.”

What’s in the meal plan? Think hydrating heirloom greens with anti-inflammatory ginger-mustard-sesame dressing—and a cleansing aloe and cucumber soup with roasted stone fruit and fig balsamic vinegar.

For this collab, Harper personally chose some of her favorite ingredients to incorporate to give your skin an added boost—something we’re always down for.

1. Ginger

“Ginger cleans out toxins from the body and is known to reduce inflammation,” says Harper. 

 

2. Strawberry

“Strawberry is a fantastic source of vitamin C for collagen and elastin production, which are key for radiance,” she says.

3. Zucchini

“Zucchini is a source of lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids with antioxidant properties that prevent skin damage and maintain skin’s strength,” says Harper. “It’s also very hydrating, which is key for glowing skin.”

4. Grains

“Quinoa and lentils possess zinc for collagen and cell growth,” says Harper. “And they are filled with cleansing fiber.”

5. Citrus

“Citrus has collagen-supporting, brightening vitamin C,” says Harper. “Vitamin C promotes cell turnover and helps balance sebum in your skin—perfect for keeping your skin in check during the hot summer months.”

6. Cucumber

“Cucumber contains water, fiber, and nutrients including vitamin C and beta carotene,” says Harper. “Cucumber and water-rich foods digest slowly and rehydrate your body.”

Photo: Stosksnap/Krzysztof Puszczyński

7. Avocado

“Healthy fats are great for the skin,” says Harper. “Avocado is packed with mono-saturated healthy fat to deeply nourish skin and boost elasticity, ensuring your skin appears youthful and hydrated.”

8. Spirulina

“Spirulina is a complete protein and contains all 22 amino acids,” says Harper. “Plus, it’s highly digestible for quick energy and sustained vitality. Spirulina helps clear your skin—it’s beauty food filled with protein, vitamins A, K, and B-12, and magnesium.”

9. Coconut

“Coconut possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits to reduce irritation and inflammation in the body,” says Harper. “Keeping inflammation low makes your skin bright and clear and fights signs of aging.”

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