Holiday, Home or Work: The Art of Skin Care
Drink enough water, wash your face, apply sunscreen, and wear a hat. Over centuries, mothers and caregivers have given the same advice to their children. It is the art of a habit, the art of protecting the wellness of your skin, the biggest organ of the human body.
For Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, splitting time across two continents and two hemispheres is second nature, each experiencing a different season. “[My] Skincare [routine] has become a ritual. A relaxing time … I reflect on the day, and I am feeling great while I am doing it.” Whether you’re in the heat of a kitchen or a corporate space filled with the icy breath of an air conditioner, whether you’re at home or on a voyage of an adventure taking care of your skin, according to the environment and the season, you find yourself in is essential for healthy skin.
pHformula’s Diana van Sittert, head of education for ART CLUB South Africa, answered a few questions about the essence of skin care:
Why is it essential to change your skincare routine during a holiday, like the JAN Voyage, or even for a weekend away?
Travelling to different regions or countries exposes the skin to variances in temperature and humidity, and long-haul flights expose the skin to polluted air, all of which affects the health of your skin’s barrier. Our skin’s barrier is the skin’s first form of protection. It is vital to keep it healthy to prevent the development of skin disorders and the worsening of prevailing skin disorders.
pHformula’s top tip for travellers is to invest in a barrier protection or repair product such as the SOS rescue cream or SOS rescue oil. These products keep the barrier’s health intact and prevent the penetration of pollutants or environmental damage.
What three skincare products or ingredients are essential to include in your regime?
Always remember the three steps.
Step One: Start right
A cleanser can make or break your skincare goals. Refrain from cleansers like soap or high-foaming cleansers as this will strip the skin’s barrier and activate the skin’s protective responses like producing more oil, proliferating dead skin cells or even hyperpigmentation. If your skin feels “squeaky clean” after cleansing, it is a clear indicator that the skin’s barrier has been impaired.
Step Two: Treat right
Use an active product suited to your specific skin concern or disorder to prevent and repair your skin concerns. pHformula’s active recovery products are ideal due to their multifunctionality, which allows them to treat more than one concern in one product.
Step 3: Protect right
90% of ageing and other skin damage results from sun damage. Use a sun protection factor of at least 30 daily to prevent multiple skin concerns.
We all know the saying: less is more. Is that the case with skincare also?
It is all in the formulation. Many products have high concentrations of a singular or main ingredient, which means that they will focus mainly on one concern. If you choose correctly, as in the case with pHformula, the products are formulated to treat multiple concerns in one product, which saves time and money while still showing exceptional results.
How can you protect your skin when you work in a harsh environment, such as a kitchen or even in the corporate office behind a computer?
When you are outdoors more often than indoors, it is essential to use products that protect the skin against pollutants. The pHformula F.O.A.M. cleanse and P.O.W.E.R. essence tonic (which can be sprayed on the skin as often as needed) prevents pollutants from entering the skin barrier and inducing sensitivity, hyperpigmentation, and ageing.
When working indoors with electronic devices, blue light protection is essential as it can be as damaging to the skin as the sun. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) is an effective blue light protection ingredient that pHformula uses in various products. The pHformula product recommended for blue light protection is the daily use of VITA B3 cream.
What is the biggest myth when it comes to skincare?
The biggest myth is that “a higher percentage or concentration of an active ingredient will give better results.” Every skin type is different and needs different concentrations of different ingredients, as well as different ingredients for different skin disorders. Avoid “trending ingredients”. Instead, ask yourself: “Is this ingredient best suited to my skin colour and skin disorder?” It is essential to seek professional advice from a skin specialist to guide you in your decision-making.
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