Skincare Q and A

I get questions all the time from (mostly) ladies who are confused about how to take care of their skin. I thought I'd address those here. Here are the first ones I have received. If you have a question for me you can leave it as a comment and I will answer it or email me at:
jen@skinrhythm.com

Q: Do I need to remove my makeup before compressing?

A: Absolutely. If you don't then you are basically pushing makeup and grime into your relaxed pores. You should remove all makeup with a creamy cleanser or plain jojoba oil. Then you can compress and then use the cleansing cream like usual if you are doing the Dr. Hauschka cleansing ritual or whichever cleanser/exfoliant you are currently using.

Q: Is it ever ok to mix and match products? If I am doing the Dr. Hauschka cleansing ritual does that mean I can never try other products?

A: This is a tricky question but I will give you my opinion, using examples from the lines that I use.
I think that a lot of brands create their products to work synergistically with one another so you will get the best results by using one brand that you trust rather than a bunch of random products.
That being said, if you decide you do want to change components of your existing skincare regimen, that can be possible if you keep a few key things in mind.
For example: Dr. Hauschka cleansers do not disturb the acid mantle, the protective layer that sits on the surface of the skin. So the toners do not Ph balance the skin because it is not unbalanced after cleansing. Grateful Body cleansers also do not disturb the acid mantle so you could use their cleansers interchangeably.
Mychelle cleansers do disrupt the acid mantle and so their enzyme mist is designed to rebalance the skin and prepare it to receive the serums and moisturizers. If you do not use the mist after using one of their cleansers, then you are not getting the best results from the products.
If you used the Mychelle cleansers and then a Dr. Hauschka toner then your skin would have to scramble to rebalance itself and could send messages to your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, possibly causing breakouts.
But, if you wanted to do the full Hauschka regimen or the full Grateful Body system but wanted to use a Mychelle hyaluronic acid serum or vitamin C serum occasionally you could fit that in during the day under your moisturizer and it would not harm the skin.
If you could use the fruit enzyme mist to set your makeup and that would be fine. Or if you wanted to use the blueberry mask for antioxident benefits or the pumpkin peel for vitamin A and to purify the skin post-menstruation then that would also work.
If you just use the serums you don't need to change your other products but for me, if I'm going to use a Mychelle mask then I use the rest of their products too, to maximize it's efficacy. So I would use the Honeydew cleanser, fruit enzyme mist then apply the pumpkin peel, compress off then more enzyme mist followed by the pumpkin renew cream.
Most cleansers do disrupt the acid mantle, GB and DH are pretty unique in the fact that they don't. Foaming cleansers almost always disrupt the acid mantle while some creamy cleansers can leave it intact.
When in doubt, find a line you trust and stick mostly with them. I love holistic products but for me, my three favorites are by far Grateful Body, Mychelle Dermaceuticals and Dr. Hauschka. I do use them all, for different purposes and after assessing my skin's needs.
If you are confused by what your skincare needs are, it's great to get a skincare consultation from a holistic esthetician who can get a good idea of what your skin needs are by touching and examining it, but if you have a question I will do my best to answer it.

For more information on the lines I have mentioned you can look at their official websites:
www.drhauschka.com
www.mychelleusa.com
www.gratefulbody.com