Tag: skincare

    • “At Home” Facial

    Many of our clients have expressed how much they miss our facials at the Apothecary. Facials provide a much needed break from the world as well as increased radiance and skin tone! Our services also foster a trusted relationship that you may have come to value. While I cannot offer much more than a virtual face-to-face at this time, I can give you some instruction on how to build and maintain healthy home care rituals that support your skin care goals and help you manage stress.

    This 2-part “At Home” Facial includes practices I have cultivated during this pandemic for health and beauty. Part one involves self care steps you can take in the evening and part two details a routine for morning. You can pick and choose aspects you personally want to embrace, and for specific product recommendations don’t forget to reach out for a free skin consultation!

    Part one- Evening:
    1. Cleanse
    2. Masque and Tonique
    3. Gua Sha with Rosehip Oil
    4. Restorative Mind-Body Ritual Oil
    5. Night Cream

    In the evening, I recommend cleansing as soon as you know you are “in” for the night. This will ensure that you are not too tired for your self care routine. Apply a masque of your choice and go about your evening with whatever you need to do (check emails, knit, read a book…). For a list of masque suggestions and their benefits check out my recent blog post: Botanical Masques for Self Care. After 10-20 minutes remove your masque, dry your face, and pat with your favorite tonique. My tonique of choice these days is the Eminence Organics Mangosteen Revitalizing Mist because it increases the skin’s ATP and delivers micronutrients. Then, apply a generous amount of your favorite face oil and find a comfortable place to sit for Gua Sha facial massage. Massage using this simple tool helps promote detoxification and increases microcirculation. I find myself spending 15 minutes on this step because it is very soothing. When you’re done, apply the Stony Creek Aromatics Restorative Mind-Body Ritual Oil on aromapoints and pulse points. Instructions for Gua Sha and the Restorative Mind-Body Ritual can be found here. Lastly, on top of the face oil, apply a lightweight moisturizer like the Eminence Organics Lotus Detoxifying Overnight Treatment or the Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream.

    Part two- Morning:
    1. Steam
    2. Cleanse
    3. Exfoliate
    4. Finishing Products
    5. Sun protection

    After coffee and breakfast I have been starting my day with an old fashioned steam. In a pot of hot water add one drop of cypress essential oil and 1 drop of eucalyptus globulus and inhale for 10 minutes with a towel over your head. Cypress is high in pinene and cinene, and Eucalyptus is rich in 1,8 Cineole, chemical components that helps fight infection and clear respiratory mucus. I can blend them for you order you can order high quality essential oils from Aromatics International. I recently started incorporating eight quick lung strengthening and clearing breathes during my steams. I learned the technique from my friend and Ann Arbor area yoga instructor, Natasha Schaffer, in this video tutorial. After your face and lungs have been purged, cleanse the impurities from your skin. Following your cleanse I recommend stepping up your exfoliating routine by applying the Eminence Organics Firm Skin Exfoliating Peel or Bright Skin Exoliating Peel. Leveling up to the use of acids on your skin increases the cell turnover and promotes a healthy skin surface. Choose the Firm Skin if you want to see a decrease in fine lines or the Bright Skin if you are concerned with hyperpigmentation. Both of these peels are around 4% so using them every day is safe as long as you are following up with a moisturizer. Now that spring is finally here, don’t forget the sun protection too!

    As with everything during this pandemic and in life, don’t let what you see other people are doing on social media make you feel like you aren’t doing enough. Try choosing just one or two things you could incorporate that helps you feel healthier and happier. You are worthy of love and care, and deserving of positive self thoughts. Stay healthy!

    For more tips on how to give yourself a facial at home, visit “How to do a facial massage at home” by Eminence Organics.

    “At Home” Facial VLOG:

    Drone Technology

    Glymed Plus is offering us a brand new technology in skin care: DRONE TECHNOLOGY!  If it sounds like something from Star Wars, it is.  The dual encapsulated super peptide knows exactly where to go once it enters your skin.  It’s a targeted treatment with none of the negative side effects (skin thinning, sun sensitivity, drying effects) of its coveted colleages (like Retinoids).

    The NEW Wrinkle Remedy promises softer, plumper skin in 6 days and a firmer face contour and relaxed wrinkles in 28 days.  How does this happen (read on)?  The super peptide in the Wrinkle Remedy formulation works on several levels:
    • Boosts the synthesis of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) in the Dermis, offering immediate plumping (crows feet and lines around the lip)
    • Increases fibroblasts in the skin which stimulate glycosaminoglycan (GAG) cells to strengthen the Dermal/Epidermal Junction (replenishing skin volume and lifting jawline)
    • Interacts with neurotransmitter receptors to relax expression lines (“frown” or “11” lines)

    The NEW Diamond Bright Skin Lightener uses cutting edge Drone Technology to brighten skin and lighten unwanted hyperpigmentation.  It promises skin lightening in 30 days by specifically targeting melanocytes in the Epidermis.  The Diamond Bright also reduces inflammation in the skin which contributes to hyperpigmentation. This formulation does not cause normal pigmentation to lighten, is safe for all skin Fitzpatrick’s types, is safe for pregnant and nursing women, and does not cause photo sensitivity.

    I hope you enjoy hearing about new, exciting products and treatments and learning a little more about how skin works!  We all have a passion for it at the Apothecary and love to share it with you.

     

    Pharmaceutical and Organic Peels

    Pharmaceutical Grade Peels

    Don’t let the word “peel” scare you.  Fruit acids, acids from sugar cane, and pineapple enzymes are all considered peels.  A chemical peel is just a way of exfoliating skin off the surface by dissolving dead skin cells (verses a physical peel which uses beads and hulls to manually remove the skin).  Chemical peels range in concentration and depending on which acids are used, have different attributes.  Scroll down for more information on our new organic peels and what acids are used for different skin conditions.  For our October Special we are offering a Glymed Plus 30% Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) Peel which consists of 15% Glycolic and 15% Lactic.  It is a 3.4 pH which means it will not dry your skin too much but, rather, is hydrating!  If you have never had a peel, we may just apply this one layer.  If you are ready to move on to treating hyperpigmentation and fine lines, we will apply the 2 leave-on peel layers at the end of the facial: the Glymed Plus 5 Berry Peel with 15% TCA and berries to lighten pigmentation (this one doesn’t make you peel), and the Glymed Plus Vitamin A Peel with 15% TCA and Vitamin A (which DOES make you peel).  As you can see this treatment is customized to your skin and what you want out of it.

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    Organic Peels

    The NEW Eminence Organics Exfoliating Peels have quickly found their way into our hearts (and our at home skin regimens).  There are 4 peels to choose from: Firm Skin, Bright Skin, Clear Skin, and Calm Skin.  They are ingenious because they pair acids that help each skin condition with botanicals to support each condition.

    Directions for application:  Every other evening after cleansing, apply on face and neck using 2 pumps from the airless jar on cotton round (included), let absorb for 3 minutes, do not remove, apply eye cream, night serum, and night cream.

    Firm Skin Exfoliating Peel– 4% Fruit acids (from lemon and passion fruit), Glycolic acid (from Naseberry), Tartaric acid (from grapes) and Lactic acid (from milk).  Botanicals include grapefruit, goji, acai, noni and sweat pea flower.  Good for fine lines.

    Bright Skin Exfoliating Peel– 3% Azelaic acid (from grains), Lactic acid (from milk), and Mandelic acid (from almonds).  Botanicals include licorice, baobab, and daisy blossom.  Good for hyperpigmentation and fine lines.

    Clear Skin Exfoliating Peel– 3% Azelaic acid (from grains), Salicylic acid (from willow bark), and Lactic acid (from milk).  Formulated with sulfur to help with oil control.  Botanicals include lilac, willow, and tomatoe extract.  Good for oil production and acne.

    Calm Skin Exfoliating Peel– 1.5% Lactic acid (from milk) and Mandelic acid (from almonds).  Botanicals white genepi, chamomile, and arnica.  Good for Rosacea and sensitive skin.
    Having trouble choosing?  Your Esthetician will choose for you!