Skin And Bare It

Thanks so much for the highlight DERMASCOPE Magazine! I’m so impressed by the amazing contributions this magazine has been making to really elevate the skincare industry.

https://www.dermascope.com/freedigital/November2023/?page=85

DERMASCOPE

Yesterday we discussed the basics and foundational skincare to get you started if you are new to the world of skincare and don't know where to start. Today I want to touch on what you can ADD to these basics if skincare has been a priority for you and you want to take things to the very next level.

- While we know cleansing in the AM and PM is important, the right kind of cleanse is equally as important. In the morning we want to support and maximize the healing our wonderful bodies do while we sleep by avoiding anything even slightly aggressive in the mornings. Using the most gentle cleanser you can get your hands on in the morning will ensure your skin has the best chance at staying healthy through the day. My personal favorite is the Roccoco Ruby Cleanser which also now comes in refill pouches if you haven't seen those (https://bareyourskin.com/collections/shop/products/roccoco-botanicals-ruby-crystal-cleanser). The Michele Corley is of course another great and more cost effective route (https://bareyourskin.com/collections/shop/products/michele-corley-pore-purifying-cleanser). In the evenings performing a double cleanse and using a gentle gel cleanser can be beneficial.
- My favorite add on for support at the moment is AnteAGE's home microchanneling kit. Home needling has gotten a bad rap - as it should in all honesty as people often do it wrong. They see the needling performed by professionals and think "I want to do that" which inevitably leads to issues. In the treatment room the goal is to trigger and utilize the skin's natural wound healing response. This is NOT THE GOAL with home needling. Home needling should barely be felt and should NOT cause significant redness. It is a very gently treatment which can be performed daily when done correctly and rather than wounding the skin, acts as a delivery system for the phenomenal AnteAGE solutions (https://bareyourskin.com/collections/anteage/products/anteage-home-microneedling-solution-kit).
- Masking is another truly amazing way to enhance your home care regimen. Using an enzyme prior to needling can ensure this treatment is that much more effective all while supporting the skin in numerous other ways. My favorite hack is to utilize my masks in the shower so that the mask itself stays hydrated and subsequently more effective. Our masks are all pretty amazing (https://bareyourskin.com/collections/shop/Masks) but my personal favorites are the Bel Mondo Sheet Mask, AnteAGE's Regenzyme and Roccoco's Sulfur Mask. The Hale and Hush Relief Bio Powder can be added to any mask or product to help minimize inflammation and support the skin. Adding it to the sulfur mask as a spot treatment is a game changer.

I could obviously go on and on about this topic for days but will try to break it up a bit to make things at least a little digestible :) Happy Thursday!

This is a VERY common misconception- one that is often perpetuated within the industry in an attempt to cater to consumer perception and demand rather than holding any actual scientific foundation.

A moisturizers thickness/viscosity is NOT indicative of how moisturizing that product will actually be on your skin. In fact, how thick a product is has virtually zero influence over its moisturizing/hydration potential. Moisture and hydration in a formulation will depend on lipids, emollients, humectants and other supportive actives. Body/ structure or viscosity of a product boils down to the waxes/emulsifiers, gums and polymers used in an emulsion. In many cases this can actually be problematic for the skin when certain emulsifiers are selected and used in a formulation. Despite their feel good properties, these types of emulsions can work against your skin's natural defenses.

Do you slather on thick creams daily and wonder why your skin just can't seem to get hydrated?

This is something I regularly have to overcome with clients who, like many of us, have been conditioned to feel like if they are dry, they just need *more*. In reality, it isn't that creamy thickness we need more of. That is more like a security blanket and because of that fact, and years of leaning on heavy creams to instantly yet temporarily dispel any dryness, many of us don't quite recognize right off the bat what it is like to have hydrated bare skin. And as we age and begin to really feel some of those negative effects of those rich creams and balms, this becomes a bigger and bigger problem.

So yes, when starting out on your barrier repair and skin health journey, your supportive products may not feel like *enough* - but don't get discouraged! They are building and supporting, not masking and suppressing.

Cystic acne is very often INCREDIBLY misunderstood. When acne is more surface and superficial, often times dehydrating the skin or excessively exfoliating can appear to yield successful results, but ultimately this approach eventually compromises the skin. When the skin is compromised, what may have been a small closed comedone or minimally inflamed pustule becomes a massive cystic lesion. As people then fall back on old ways of treating this type of acne by layering acids in their regimen and drying out the skin, they only contribute to the weakening of the follicles and increase the inflammation which causes the very acne they are attempting to combat. You cannot treat or hope to manage an inflammatory condition through inflammatory means.

This season has been brutal for my family and I know we are not alone. The never ending game of ”what virus is it today” has left us exhausted and cranky and I won’t lie, there were days I skipped my regimen which NEVER happens. But it got me thinking… what are the best ways to ensure we care for our skin when we can hardly care for ourselves? There are days that the answer is simply “we can’t”, and that’s okay… but here are some tips for the days we manage to get vertical.

1. Keep it simple!

One big reason we may fall off the skincare wagon is because all those steps may seem overwhelming…. So drop the steps and cut down to your bare basic support:

Cleanse and Hydrate. That’s it.

Anything else is a bonus. No double cleansing, no tools, no 5-10 steps. Keep it simple.

2. Mask when you can

This might seem to contradict the previous suggestion of keeping it simple, but I really mean when you can here. Taking a shower? Put a mask on in the shower and remove it before stepping out of the shower. Taking a bath? Do the same. One of the best options for support will be using Roccoco’s Hydrating Mask as an overnight mask on top of your other products.

3. Mix instead of layer

If you have serums you feel are necessary for your skin health while sick but want to skip the steps, just pump it in with the moisturizer, massage it into the skin the best you can and call it a day.

4. Night time > Morning

While cleansing your skin with a mild gentle cleanser like Roccoco’s Ruby Cleanser in the morning is important, that night time cleanse with a moisturizer is going to be more so, so if you have to pick, or if you lost the morning in a groggy haze of “why me”, then just make sure you tackle the evening cleanse.

5. Don’t be a Hero

Sleep is more important than anything so if you are already vertical and moving, stay that way for an extra 2 minutes and tackle your face, but if you are down, stay down and sleep.

ESPECIALLY if you are a mom!! Take care of yourself.

So what are my top products to recover from whatever crap we landed with this week?

AnteAGE Serum to help with inflammation and to normalize the skin.

Roccoco’s Globiotic to readjust our microbiome after things have taken their toll.

Doing a bit of brainstorming between some of the most popular products and products we REALLY think you'd benefit from this winter, we've decided to give you another chance at a discount on Skincare before the holidays (and before winter gets worse for our poor skin!).

This is a BOGO sale so all you have to do is navigate to the first product, add it to your cart and a popup will ask if you want the second one at it's discounted (or free in the case of the hydrating mask and CPR) price.

These pairs are put together for a reason and I'll be providing a bit more info about that this week but these are definitely some of my favorite combos... not just because of their immensely supportive natures, but also for the purpose of gift giving 🥰 🎁. Literally, kids' teachers are getting sheet masks and CPR, family members, friends. Sharing is caring and if your skin is struggling this winter, think of how much Aunt Ruth and her bar soap are hating life.

Tomorrow is Colorado Gives Day!!

A few years back I lost my own sweet Saint Bernard and as anyone with a dog knows.... we don't deserve them and they just aren't with us for long enough. I have been following the most amazing rescue efforts from Colorado Saint Bernard Rescue for a while now and I see my sweet pup in every single one of these gentle giants' faces. These guys are incredibly passionate, traveling across the country to rescue Saints in need and going through great pains to find them loving foster families up until they are ready and often times healed enough to be put with a loving forever home.

Keeping myself from adopting all the giant slobber factories has been no easy struggle within itself but alas, I have 2 kids, 2 cats and no yard or fence so in doing what I can, Skin And Bare It will be donating 25% of all proceeds from any sales today and tomorrow to this incredibly worthy cause.

Having had just one saint, I can speak from experience, they are expensive! Add extensive vet bills and caring for Saints in rough shape to the mix and this goes far beyond a full time job.

Link in bio ❤️

Holiday cheer is here early this year! Check out the biggest sales of the year with up to 30% off of , 20% off of and holiday kits! Link in bio