Fresh Starts! We’re Falling Forward into a Beautiful Routine
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Reasons for the Routine School is back in session, summer is coming to a close, there's a shift in the air, and if you've been in vacay mode or your schedule went awry, it's time to get back into your self-care routine. This month it's all about shedding the dead skin cells, reducing fine lines and sun damage, clearing and brightening the complexion, and detoxifying and improving the tone of our skin. Yes, you can do this! We're forward thinking in this month of falling back into our routines.
Our skin can change as fast as the weather, which is why we formulate six different exfoliants. Your personal care products can change with you, your skin condition, and the seasons. The right exfoliant will shed what no longer serves you (dead skin cells!) and will allow your serums and treatments to penetrate and work their botanical magic.
Bar none, we hear that exfoliating is a step that is most often skipped. Shame, shame, shame! Really, it's a fast, enjoyable moment (it feels and smells great!) that reveals so many visible and below-the-surface benefits for our skin.
We're diving into the most common questions we hear.
"How can I choose the right exfoliant?"Direct quote, yes, with these four exclamation points... "The ONLY exfoliant I use and recommend!!!!" via Dr. Apple Bodemer, Dermatologist | Integrative Medicine, Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Having safe and effective treatments is healthy for everyone, and having the backing of dermatologists and those in the skin and health profession means so much to us.
Choosing the right exfoliant for your current skin's condition is key. We don't really have a 'skin type' as much as we have a 'skin condition,' as we may feel that our skin is oily in some parts of the year, and dry in others. Matching your skin's condition reaps benefits, and the rewards are visible.
Know that in each exfoliant we include proven skin soothers and softeners to not only help shed the dead skin cells, but soften without exacerbating the surface. Gluten free oats to soften, natural glycolic acid, ground botanicals, Matcha tea for it's antioxidant action, and either thyme, lavender, or rose for the benefits that they knowingly deliver to the skin ~ each exfoliant fits a need to help fight acne, even the skin tone, help ease rashes or Rosacea, or just soften and reduce fine lines. It's not just one healthy ingredient, it's the whole batch.
In a nutshell (and no, we don't include nut shells in our exfoliants!), here is how you can select your exfoliant.
First, find your favorite Skin Suite, and then decide if your complexion would benefit from a pure clay's action of pulling impurities from the pores, or if a gentle exfoliation at the surface is necessary. The ingredients that are married with the clay or the minerals will help do the work for you ~ no harsh scrubbing allowed. Then, let the fun begin.
Balancing Clay or Herbal Exfoliant ~ If breakouts are persistent, choosing the clay option, which includes French Green Clay in this exfoliant, is best to help escort impurities and debris from the pores. The herbal exfoliant's minerals offer more of a surface exfoliation. Thyme is in both options ~ a known healer for acne and a natural form of benzoyl peroxide to help kill bacteria and fight inflammation.
Hydrating Clay or Herbal Exfoliant ~ The Hydrating Skin Suite is where many start if they're uncertain. Many of us are combination. As with the Balancing, choose the clay option, which in this exfoliant is Moroccan rhassoul clay, is a bit less active as the clay in the Balancing Clay Exfoliant, but it is still active and helps to clean out clogged pores. Lavender soothes and the herbal exfoliant's minerals soften on the surface.
Restoring Clay or Herbal Exfoliant ~ The Restoring Skin Suite offers a heavier type of moisture and hydration, and the exfoliant is formulated to be gentle but effective. The Restoring Clay Exfoliant contains a very fine and gentle kaolin clay to help keep pores clean. Roses are beneficial for dry or dehydrated skin; the herbal exfoliant blends petals with minerals to soften and remove hanging-on dead skin cells.
By the way, many have had MUCH improvement with clogged pores just by using our cleansing oils.
Additionally, the exfoliants can be used as a second cleanse after removing your cleansing oil. There is much buzz about cleansing grains, and our exfoliants are essentially like mild cleansers with benefits to be used after a cleansing oil. Oil cleansers do a far better job than a cleansing grain alone, but adding one of our exfoliants as a second cleanse is a common practice for some.
Over-exfoliation is a common occurrence and can actually be harmful to the surface of our skin. The skin's gentle acid mantle protects the dermis from the elements and infection. Some exfoliants tear the skin with sharp edged ingredients and unnatural ingredients. Synthetic ingredients, strong false fragrances, strong acids, and fillers can potentially add to skin upset. Our formulas contain a handful of proven, performing natural alternatives to the synthetic counterparts found hidden in many clean products.
Depending on your current condition, many are happy exfoliating two to four times a week. Personally, my routine includes a gentle exfoliation every evening. It's better for my Rosacea, hormonal acne, and general skin condition.
Be your best guide, start gently, use light fingertip pressure, and feel free to let it sit on the surface for a few minutes. Feel the gentle tingle that sometime occurs from the natural elements, and then rinse it away with all that no longer serves you. Using on a freshly cleansed face is best, but some like to add it with their cleansing oil all in one beautiful step. Mixing with water to form a paste is the most common way to use our exfoliants, and we like the feeling of using it after we've cleansed with our cleansing oil. Only a small amount is needed ~ start small and go from there.
It's up to you ~ find your favorite time and way to exfoliate, and just do it! It won't work if you don't.
Keeping a simple, natural routine of exfoliating between cleansing and before moisturizing will help that youthful glow and assist your products to penetrate. Your serums and treatments won't be fighting to get through an invisible wall of dead skin cells. And let's face it... sometimes that wall of dead skin cells isn't very invisible!
Our Cell Renewal Factor (CRF) slows down as the clock ticks. Cell turnover means that the new skin cells come to the surface from the lowest layer of the epidermis before shedding. Our skin wants to shed these cells, but needs a boost from us.
As we age our Cell Renewal Factor (CRF) or cell turnover rate slows down. Cellular turnover happens when our skin produces new skin cells that come from the lowest layer to the top layer, and then fall off and shed from the surface. This is what keeps dead cells from building up on the skin. Our skin's surface can have up to 20 layers of dead skin cells on it!
Here is an approximate time frame of the CRF on various ages:
- Infants and Children - 14 days
- Teens - 21 to 28 days
- Ages 28 to 49 - 28 to 42 days
- Age 50 and Beyond - 42 to 84 days
Yes, our complexion needs a boost, a nudge, and needs to let go of the between 15 to 20 layers of dead skin cells it can hold on to.
Without our help, our serums and treatments just aren't going to be able to get through all of those layers of dull, dead skin.
With increased microcirculation from the gentle pressure of fingertips with the clay or herbal exfoliants (be gentle, let the healing ingredients to the job), it can improve our skin tone and brighten the complexion.
Impurities and debris can be escorted right out of those pores with the proper exfoliation. Buh-bye! Clean pores appear smaller ~ pore size doesn't really change, but clean pores are allowed to stay smaller. Skin is allowed to detoxify and new cell growth is encouraged. Sun damage and fine lines can be reduced with the right mixture of natural glycolic acids and herbal treatments.
This is kind of a funny story, and one that comes up regularly.
At a recent Madison Women's Expo, I was doing a stage presentation. The topic of the chat was exfoliation, estrogen and how both affect our skin.
At the end of the presentation, a gal came up to me and said, "Do you know who Christie Brinkley is?" Of course I said yes. "Well," she said, "She's in her 60s and I heard that Christie Brinkley exfoliates every single day. Which exfoliant do you have that can make me look like Christie Brinkley?!"
Ha! Love it. It's true, Christie has said that she started exfoliating in her teens, but don't worry, there's still time!
There's no secret in a bottle, it's an overall picture. Stick to your routine, stick to your healthy habits, and make your healthy life ~ both of what goes inside and what goes outside ~ healthy and good for you. Then remember to smile, feel empowered, and be confident by the choices that are made.
"Besides the face, what other areas can benefit from the right exfoliant?"Don't just limit exfoliating at the face. There could be a number of different products to exfoliate different parts of the body, but our facial exfoliants don't have to be confined to just above the jaw line. Many of our products are multi-functional, and are exfoliants are a good example of this.
We already mentioned that they're like a grain cleanser after your cleansing oil, they can also substitute for a mask when allowed to dry on the surface. Especially with our clay exfoliants, mix your favorite with a little water and apply it to the face after cleansing. Allow it to dry before rinsing away. Lovely.
Our botanical exfoliants can also benefit these areas:
- The lips ~ rub your lips at the same time you're giving yourself the light exfoliating circles. No need to have an additional little vessel of a different lip polish. You already have one!
- The neck and décolleté ~ often exposed, the neck's skin is always being pulled down with gravity, just as our faces are, and stimulating it and exfoliating the surface with help your Day and Night serums go to work at a potentially deeper level.
- The back of our hands ~ treat your hands as you do your neck, chest, and face. Our hands are exposed just as often as our faces are, but we wash them much more often and sometimes with harsh ingredients. Exfoliating the thin skin on the back of the hands makes it ready for some serious botanical pampering with our Garden Serum for Body, or our favorite, the Lavish Serum Salve, on your hands before bed. Nighttime is the best break they have to heal and become nourished again.
- The armpits ~ yes, you read that right. Shaving can be a way of exfoliating your gentle under arm area, but if you don't shave, or even if you do, many find our clay exfoliants soothing to this area because of the oat and clay actives. The skin is delicate and is often in the dark where bacteria can breed odor and cause sensitivity. On a side note, our natural and dry deodorant putties are pH balanced to ward-off itching and burning that can happen with so many natural deodorants out there. If you've got a sensitive pit, this can offer some relief as well. Hint ~ A dab of organic apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball on the affected area will help to bring back the proper pH quickly if there is a rash or itching present.
- The feet ~ our herbal exfoliants' minerals can help to reduce bacteria and odor in and around the tootsies. The many nerve endings and ties to various organs benefit from a foot massage with your exfoliant as well.
Arms, legs, elbows, knees ~ they all deserve a good exfoliating and stimulation as well. Following a dry brushing routine, with a little of our Fresh Body Oil afterward, is a wonderful way to increase the lymphatic drainage and detoxify the body. We also have body polishes in four delicious flavors that are meant to be used anywhere below the chin line, and loved.
You've been given a bevy of reasons why we should exfoliate on a regular basis. Now we're giving you a way to discover one of our exfoliants for the first time, try a different one with the new season around the corner, or share it with a friend.
In September, SAVE 10% on any of our clay and herbal exfoliants from the Balancing Skin Suite, Hydrating Skin Suite, and Restoring Skin Suite. These products fit into the EWG Verified® program and have been whole-heartedly Verified. Safe for you. Safe for our environment. Lovely to indulge in. Use this code for your savings: EXFOLIATEMEQET. Enter the code while shopping online, or mention it in our Skin Studio.
Allison Mitchell, beauty editor of the well-read magazine, Modern Luxury, Orange County, reached out to Qēt Botanicals shortly after we landed in California as she heard about our second location in Orange County. Lucky us!
The publication is beautiful, both the digital image and the paper publication. Glossy images, enticing imagery, wonderful events. Entitled "Sweet on Qēt," a wonderful mention about Qēt was shared in this savvy Southern California magazine. You could say we're in botanical bliss to be included in it! Definitely. More here.
within the next 30 days (fingers crossed!)
Yes, we've made it over the hump, and we're just around the corner from opening our second lab and skin studio located in San Clemente, California. Whew!
Here's a peek at some of the progress. Our Labor Day was filled with productive noise and laboring in the space. We'll keep posting pics as we get closer to opening our doors.
Out with the Old=Dead skin cells, bad habits, soon-to-be-last season, making no time for yourself.
In with the New=New skin cells, healthy habits, being present in the upcoming new season, taking two minutes morning and night ~ just... for... you.
Embrace the change in seasons, the change in skin, and even the advancing clock. Keep using natural, healthy methods that work with the body and skin rather than against it.
With time comes confidence, wisdom, and sometimes even a fabulous shoe or handbag collection.
xx
~ Lisa