Five steps to youthful, healthy and glowing skin.

As and Esthetician and  Founder of Freshly Plum, I often get asked multitude of questions from my peers and clients regarding my radiant & youthful skin ( I am of a certain age) and how I maintain it. I share five easy steps that have are tried and true.

This was a pressing issue for me throughout my career. I wanted to find out whether I could enhance my clients skin while caring for my own too.  Over the years, I had several aha moments and realized what did and did not provide results. 

I have spoken to thousands of clients, just like me who want to age gracefully and possibly enhance a flaw or two.   So, below are the few pointers from my 20+ years of extensive research & in house clinical studies with  skincare formulations, that have helped me achieve the best version of my skin.

Step 1: Cleansing: In the evening always Double Cleanse.  Use a daily cleanser to remove makeup, dirt and pollution from your busy day. Then follow with a treatment cleanser designed to address your skins needs. I cannot emphasize this enough!  Double cleansing ensures that all the oil & dirt have been removed from the face.   In the morning you can use your treatment cleanser to prepare your skin for your leave on products.

Step 2 - Toner or Essence: A good mild & hydrating actives helps prep the skin for the upcoming steps and better absorption of products into the skin. 

Step 3- Serum: This is a VERY important step. Including a right & effective serum in your skincare routine makes a huge difference. Serums are very high in active ingredients concentration and they actually help in giving your visible results much faster. Always start with a serum that has low-medium concentration of actives. Once your skin starts getting used to the actives, you can up their concentration. Some of the most popular & effective actives used in serums:

1. Retinol):Retinol is known to give you an amazingly radiant & flawless skin. But, it comes with a cost. Not everyone's skin reacts happily to retinol. Retinol might cause acne breakouts & irritation to many people. It's equally effective & completely natural alternative is BAKUCHIOL. Bakuchiol is a wonder active that is suitable for all skin types, is equally potent as retinol and it is 100% natural & plant based. It's used at a concentration of 1-2% in serums.
2. Kojic & Arbutin (aka the All Starts Actives):The most loved active out there! It is great for skin brightening, depigmentation, skin hydration and cellular turnover for a brighter & smoother skin. All of the above, and suitable for all skin types. This combination helps you get a luminous glow instantaneously.
3. Hyaluronic Acid (aka The Holy Grail of Hydration):By far, the best & safest active for anti-ageing! The holy grail of hydration, Hyaluronic Acid is capable of holding 1,000 times its weight in water. It delivers intense hydration and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Instantly quenches skin's hydration thirst to breathe new life to dry, rough & dull skin.
4. AHA (Mild Fruit Acids):Mild exfoliating acids extracted from fruits that work gently to remove dead skin cells surface to reveal a brighter and softer skin. They also help in reducing fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots.

Step 4 :Moisturizer: Seal all the actives with a good moisturizer. The hydration and nourishment provided by a good moisturizer (suitable for your skin types) coupled with all the actives used in previous steps give a balanced concoction to skin for its great health!  Healthy skin glows!

Step 5: Sunscreen /Overnight Mask & Face Oil: This step is dependent on the AM/PM part of the day. If you're stepping out in the Sun, ALWAYS wear your sunscreen! No amount of skincare will help you if you don't wear a good Sunscreen with at least 30 SPF! However, during your bedtime, follow all the above steps with an overnight mask or a face oil. You can alternate between both the products every other day. An overnight mask actually does a slow facial, exfoliation & provides extra nourishment to your face so that you wake with a red-carpet ready skin! Whereas, a face oil provides extra moisturization to your face for an extra soft & bouncy skin! I prefer alternating between both the products. You can try and see what routine works the best for your skin.