Skin Science Sunday: Why Should You Workout For Your Skin?

What does working out do for your skin?

1. When working out it is known that it helps relieve any stress you may have. When you have a large amount of stress plaguing you, this causes your adrenal glands to be stimulated. When this is happening, these glands produce excess oil, & in return can create acne in the skin from the buildup oil in your pores. Other results can lead to inflammation in the body causing added redness. These reasons are why it is important to manage stress in your body, & working out is a great release. 

2. When you work out you are sweating toxins from your body. Your pores will open up while your body sweats & this will release these toxins that clog the pores of your skin. Doing so can also help lead to a clearer healthy complexion. It is important that you have a clean washed face prior to working out, otherwise things such as makeup will melt into those pores that have just been opened. Try Livia Pure Organics "Blue Lava Cleanser", this cleanser is great to clear the pores & balance oil without stripping the skin. 

3. Consistently working out can lead to healthy regulated sleep. Exercise as we have said reduces stress & can alleviate anxiety, factors that often prevent us from getting a good nights rest. With continuous fitness activity this can help reduce those factors in time resulting in better sleep patterns. When you lack sleep, your body releases stress hormones & create inflammation in the body, resulting in lack luster skin, possible breakouts, & an overall dullness. 

4. When you are regularly working out you naturally want to eat better. You don't want your good work in the gym to go to waste by eating junk food after. With a healthier diet, it will then lead to healthy skin. A lot of what you put into your body will not only show in your body but in your face as well.  Making the right food choices have huge effects on clear radiant skin. 

Skin Science Sunday: Why the mineral selenium is great for the skin

What is so great about selenium? 

Selenium is a mineral found in soil, but we can also find it in water & some foods.

1. Selenium is a mineral that helps fight inflammation. Increased inflammation is a huge negative for anyones skin & health, so anything that will fight this gets two thumbs up!

2.  This mineral is rich in antioxidants. In return, this helps lower free radical damage & fight the signs of aging. Great for keeping a youthful complexion!

3.  It helps assist in skin elasticity, keeping your skin firm & plump!

4.  Reduces redness, irritation, & can help with reduce the inflammation of acne. 

People do not need a large amount of selenium to benefit, & should not exceed the recommended dietary allowance.

Where to find selenium? 

• Tuna
• Salmon
• Mushrooms
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Chia Seeds
• Pineapple 

Skin Science Sunday: Why your products should be chirally correct

Why your skincare should be chirally correct?

First, what does this mean? The breakdown: Scientific research shows that an ingredient molecule has two sides. One side is said to work better with the skin, & the other not so much. The process involves only using the better working molecule & ridding of the other side. By doing so, your products become more beneficial & your skin can absorb the ingredients to its fullest. This is known as chirally correct.

Sometimes your skin can become sensitized, or you may have an allergic reaction to products when the less beneficial side is used, this is due to your skin essentially not knowing what to do with that molecule. By using only chirally correct products you can then avoid these negative reactions & ensure your skin is benefiting from efficient ingredients only. 

In simple terms, using chirally correct products will let you achieve the best results possible by using ingredients that work BEST on your skin. 

Here at Pure Bloom Skincare we use chirally correct products from the companies shown below:

Skin Script & Livia Pure Skin Care

Skin Science Sunday: How to save your skin from airline travel

How to Save your Skin from Airline Travel

Everyone knows how drying it can be while being onboard a flight. With the change in air and humidity in the cabin,  your skin can become drastically affected even after just a few hours! Here are my top tips to ensure the health of your skin.

During:

1. Make sure to apply a hydrating serum & moisturizer before your flight. Your best bet is to make sure hyaluronic acid is one of the ingredients in either the serum or moisturizer, if not both. This will be a "drink of water" for your skin in a sense. 
2. Apply sunscreen. Wearing an SPF on flight is essential, UV Rays can be quite strong  through the window of your aisle. Your best bet if you're ultra sensitive is to actually get a window seat, this means you can control how much light is going to be peaking through & you have the option of closing the shade completely. On quite long flights when the sun shines for most of the duration, you could potentially acquire a sunburn. 
3. Drink plenty of water. To avoid even more dehydration, make sure you are staying hydrated & avoid drinks like coffee & alcohol while onboard. This can dry out your skin further & essentially make you feel more sluggish on arrival. 

After:

1. Exfoliate your skin. A gentle exfoliation will help rid of any surface dryness, & will help for better product penetration that follows.
2. Use a hydrating face mask. Following your exfoliation, apply a mask that will help add moisture back into your skin. This will rebalance your skin & add back it's loss in hydration. 
3. Keep drinking water. This will help assist in getting you that healthy glowing skin & ultimatley feeling better inside & out!

Fun Fact: Hydrating mists can actually do more harm than good. After misting your skin in flight, the air is so dry that it will essentially steal that bit of water from your skin & cause your skin to have more moisture pulled out than if you had skipped misting your face. 

Skin Science Sunday: 5 tips to survive the winter skin effects

5 Skin Tips to Survive the Winter

1. Hydrate. Making sure you moisturize your face & the rest of your body is essential, & even more important during the colder months. Your skin can get affected by this weather by becoming overly dry & in worse cases; itchy, irritated, & sensitized. Rich moisturizers before bed are ideal in preventing any water loss in the skin & to ensure you stay hydrated through the night. 

2. SPF. Even though you are spending less time outdoors & the sun shines less, it is important to make sure you are still wearing SPF daily. Preventing sun damage & aging is a 365 day job. Harmful sun rays can affect you the entire year.

3. Exfoliate. Gentle exfoliation during the winter is necessary to help remove any dead skin cells that are on the surface. This then helps your moisturizer properly penetrate through the layers of the skin, rather than sitting on top of these dead cells. 

4. Sleep with a Humidifier. Colder days mean putting the heat on in your home. This added heat can create dryness in the air which then leads to dryness in your skin. During the night sleeping with a humidifier helps prevent this while keep moisture in the air. Leaving your skin less vulnerable to the weather. 

5. Avoid Overly Hot Showers/Baths. With the common theme here being dryness. Super hot showers & baths can further dry out your skin. It is important to remember to moisturize immediately after your shower, this is when your skin is ready to fully take in that hydration. 

Adding these tips into your routine will help ensure healthy & happy skin for the winter!

Skin Science Sunday: What do high frequency treatment do for the skin?

What Do High Frequency Treatments Do For The Skin?

So what is it?

The high frequency device consists of a hand held wand with a glass electrode on the end. When in use, the electrode produces a small electrical current (Tesla Current), ozone, & argon gas. Your esthetician glides this wand over your skin or directly to a specific area, you may sense a mild warming sensation in the skin & hear a buzzing sound.

What does it do?

The benefits of this device include: antibacterial effects, healing, stimulated circulation & collagen, reduced inflammation, oxygenation of the skin, as well as increased cell metabolism. 

Who should receive this treatment?

Most can benefit by receiving high frequency in a facial treatment. Those that would benefit the most from this device are individuals who suffer from acne, enlarged pores, & oiliness. Other candidates for this treatment include those with lack luster skin, aging, or simply those looking to just "refresh" their skins appearance. High frequency is also great after waxing services for those that often breakout after receiving their wax from a professional. 

Be sure to talk with your esthetician to see if this treatment is right for you, there are some contraindications that may prevent you from receiving high frequency. 

Skin Science Sunday: 10 Things Making Your Acne Worse, Or Causing It.

Why are you breaking out?

This is a question that many ask themselves while looking in the mirror feeling aggravated, and the frustration of forever finding some sort of remedy or solution. If you deal with acne or have acne prone skin I am sure that you have tried every acne product on the shelves, possibly even taken dermatologist prescribed medications, and had still no such luck. If that sounds like you, it can be possible that you are making simple mistakes, or have acquired bad habits that can be making your skin worse. 

Here are 10 common causes or worsening factors for acne prone skin:

1. You Sleep in Your Makeup/Don't Cleanse Before Bed. Too lazy to wash your face before bed? This could be a major factor in your acne. Sleeping with your makeup on can cause extremely clogged pores, which can then lead to more breakouts & blackheads. Your skin must be cleansed before bed to remove any dirt, oil, and bacteria that collects throughout the day. Going to bed and placing your head on your pillow can cause all that junk to get embedded into your skin. 
2. You Constantly Touch Your Face/Pick at Breakouts. As everyone knows, germs are everywhere. They are on surfaces, doorknobs, cell phones, & of course, your hands. This means you should never be touching your face unless your hands are fully washed. Even then you should not mess with any current breakouts, picking at them can lead to breaking open the skin & causing possible scarring & infection. Make sure to wash your hands before cleansing your skin and applying products.
3. You are Eating Excessive Dairy/Sugar. Both dairy & sugar can cause inflammation. The inflammation can cause acne to become worse and or enlarged. In milk, hormones are one of the biggest factors that can then affect your breakouts. There is also evidence that these hormones bind to your sebaceous glands (oil glands) which then produce more sebum (oil) in your follicles, leading to more breakouts. If you are eating/drinking lots of dairy products and your acne is an issue, cut back or slowly cut out any dairy if your acne is quite severe.
4. You're Sleeping on Dirty Pillow Cases.  When was the last time you washed your pillow case? Your face lays on your pillow for hours at a time, and if it is loaded with excess oil from your skin and even from your hair, this can be creating an issue for your breakouts. Make sure to wash your pillow case at-least every week, if you overly produce oil throughout the night, you may want to switch it every 3 days. 
5. You are Using to0 Many DIY Concoctions. Been scrolling through Pinterest too often? The many DIY face masks, exfoliants, etc. can actually be making your skin worse. Many of the concoctions are not recommend from a skin professional, but rather someone who has too much fun mixing leftover ingredients from their pantry. A big no no that is recommended a lot through Pinterest is baking soda. Baking soda is not a skincare product, this can ruin the barrier of your skin & irritate acne. The PH of your skin is between a 4 - 5.5, while baking soda is at a PH of 9. Due to it's alkaline content, this can create extreme water loss in your skin causing sensitivity & an overproducing of oil which then become a breeding ground for acne. 
6. Your Cell Phone is Dirty. Cell phones carry lots of bacteria and germs. Wiping them down daily with a cleansing wipe can help kill that bacteria. We use our phones constantly, they rest on our faces during phone calls, we text, some people even sleep with them. Make sure it is disinfected daily to help avoid any buildup that can create a worsening in your breakouts.
7. You're Lacking Water Intake. This one may create a bit of controversy, but I personally still believe in its affects. Drinking water can help flush out toxins in your body and transport nutrients throughout, then helping contribute in clearer skin and a healthier body. Our bodies consist of 60-70% of water, so water is essential to us. Think of it as if we are not drinking water, we are most likely replacing that with drinks such as, coffee, soda, juice, which all contain lots of sugar, which as we stated before can make acne worse. All in all, water is essential in keeping your skin healthy and preventing acne. 
8. You're Using too Many Acne Products. This may sound confusing, but a lot of the times these acne products can be quite harsh on the skin. Many strip your skin of its natural moisture which then can result in your skin trying to make up for that by producing excessive oil, causing breakouts. Other products like certain drying spot treatments can lead to your breakout taking longer to heal. When you dry the area of a breakout it is trapping in that bacteria with dead flaky skin. The bacteria has no way to release, then prolonging to breakout. Your best bet is to leave the breakout alone, and applying a spot treatment that is not drying, or to apply it only to post acne marks. 
9. Your Shampoo Contains Sulfates. Many know that sulfates are bad for color treated hair, as it strips the color out and fades color quickly. Sulfates, also known as cleansing agents, are the ingredients that create the ultra sudsy effect in your shampoo. This can lead to breakouts around the hairline, chest, and back of your body. These sulfates can adhere to your skin & clog pores, creating little breakouts. 
10. Your Using Bad Makeup. This is a hard one for some, as there are so many brands to choose from. Makeup tends to not have the best ingredients in them. Parabens, synthetics, added fragrance or dyes, talc, silicones, etc. Although makeup has come a long way, these ingredients still exist in many brands, and can all aggravate acne. Making sure you read ingredients and choosing non comedogenic makeup can help ensure you are making the right choice. Brands like Jane Iredale (my personal favorite) and GloMinerals have skin-loving ingredients. 

Do you have any of these bad habits in your daily life?