Pillow Talk

A while back, I came across a book, "6 Weeks to Sensational Skin: Dr. Loretta's Beauty Camp Handbook for your Freshest Face" and, of course, immediately dove into it's recommendations. This is a great book, and I'd recommend it to you if you are dorky enough, like me, to enjoy reading about your skin. One of Dr. Loretta's recommendation's is to purchase good pillowcases. Over 250 threadcount. Not your entire sheet set, just your pillowcases. I chose white, as those seem the "cleanest", and they can be washed on HOT to really kill the germs. You can find great pillowcases at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, these fabulous white ones are only $24.99 for a set of two. Or, splurge on a set from Pine Cone Hill  or Sferra.

Also, Dr. Loretta recommends washing the pillowcases in All: Free and Clear Detergent once a week. Her reason was simple- every single night, you lie down on your pillowcases and, if you are like me, smush one side of your face into it as you peacefully pass your way into slumber. Rubbing your face with bad linens and perfumed detergents for 8 hours straight can't be wise. So, I took her advice. I even made a rule that from then on we would have all-white towels as well. And I must admit, I think there is something to it. I felt a bit less blotchy upon waking up in the morning, and I enjoy sleeping knowing that my face is protected by a good, clean linen.

Lastly, and we'll discuss this further in the future, while you are resting on your new clean pillowcases, make sure that you are getting enough sleep. At least 7 hours, if you can't get 8. Sleep is when your cells rebuild themselves, and that's pretty important for your skin.

So, switch out your linens and your detergent. Get at least 7, if not 8, hours of sleep a night. Then be amazed at the results! You'll look, and feel, refreshed.

Blackheads

Even those with the clearest skin are prone to blackheads. Look carefully in the crease and on the bridge of your nose and on the flat of your chin. For those of you blessed with small pores, you may have to use the bright lights and mirror in your bathroom. Normally, blackheads are much easier to see on a man's skin, as they tend to have larger pores. However, almost everyone is prone to blackheads. The medical term for a blackhead is open comedo.

A quick medical description, found on About.com, is this: "Blackheads, also known as open comedones, are follicles that have a wider than normal opening. They are filled with plugs of sebum and sloughed-off cells and have undergone a chemical reaction resulting in the oxidation of melanin. This gives the material in the follicle the typical black color."

Below is an image (not of my own nose) for those of you who  may be questioning exactly what a blackhead looks like.

Unfortunately, blackheads tend to be rather stubborn little devils. You can try to squeeze them, and often they will "pop" in rather gross, curly little spirals. However, popping does more damage than good. Though I am guilty of it from time to time, it's a terrible habit and can lead to long term scarring. Your best bet for blackhead removal? It's a three step process. First, a good exfoliation should help. Secondly, Mario Badescu (one of my favorite skin care brands) has a wonderful product to help clear blackheads. It's called Silver Powder, and it's good stuff. You'll feel a bit strange as you are using it at first, but you'll see a noticable difference. Lastly, don't skimp on moisturizer just because you have blackheads. Moisturizer is an important step in your skin care process and your skin will dry up like prune without it.

Skin Care 101

Ok, so for my first foray into the subject of skin, I've decided to first discuss good skin care regimen basics. These next steps are the basic steps that every person should begin with as they begin to build good skin care habits. I have broken them into daily, weekly, and monthly steps. It might seem like a lot at first, but remember, this is your foundation. Once you have mastered these steps as a habit, and you've perhaps done a bit of experimenting with products, we'll dive more deeply into specific product recommendations and skin types. For some steps, I have noted brands in parenthesis that I have found to be good across the board, but this by no means is the only brand out there, and it may not be the brand for you. You won't truly know your skin type until you've mastered a good basic regimen, so I have tried to keep these recommendations at a reasonable price point. If you follow these steps for 2 whole weeks, you may begin to notice that you are dry or oily, or that some products suit you better than others. This is part of the learning curve!

Daily
1. Wash your face twice a day with a good cleanser. (Neutrogena has wonderful cleansers and bar soap.)

2. Use a gentle toner after you wash. (Clinque's toner is strong, but fabulous. Mario Badescu is a bit more gentle.)

3. Moisturize with non-comedogenic lotion.

4. Use sunscreen, every morning, regardless of your outdoor activity. Thank me when you're 65. (Oil of Olay, SPF 15 for Sensitive Skin is not bad and very reasonable.)

5. Use eye cream, every night, regardless of your age. Thank me when you're 65.

Weekly
1. Exfoliate with a gentle exfoliant. If you are new to using an exfoliant, try twice a week at the beginning. (Suki's Lemongrass Exfoliator is heaven, but pricey. St. Ives' Apricot Scrub is a good basic to get you started, as well.)

2. Use a face mask on a day that you did not exfoliate. Later, you may find that it's better to use one immediately after or before exfoliating, but for now, let's keep it simple. (Mario Badescu)

Monthly
1. If it's in your budget, have a facial performed at a top-ranked spa.

2. If facials aren't in your budget, consider performing them at home. I like to put a pot of water on the stove, standing over it by about 10-12 inches, and let the steam work it's magic on my pores. Cost of heating water on your stove? $0.00!

Welcome to Good Clean Skin!

Well, I suppose I should start by saying that this is, without a doubt, my very first blog entry ever. Actually, I find most blogs to be, well, a bit much. But, this blog is not about me, or my dog and the cute things he does, or my life. This blog is about skin. Good clean skin to be exact. Because I don't know much about much, but I am obsessed with skin. Good clean skin. Flawless, poreless, porcelain, babydoll skin. I work at it every day. I've tried every regimen out there that you can possibly imagine. From Drug Store to La Mer, prescription to vitamins, diet to department stores, I've tried it. Once, my husband actually told me that the best part of coming home from work was seeing what color my face would be when he got there. Blue masks, green masks, white masks, gel masks... oh yes, I have them on rotation.

This blog will follow my crazy, zany trials, and hopefully help a few others of you out there to make some better skin choices. Let's face it, trying all the skin care products you might like to can get expensive! So, why not learn from someone elses' mistakes and success? And, perhaps we can have a laugh or two (hopefully not at my expense) along the way.

As a quick disclaimer, if you have skin issues that are beyond the scope of cosmetic imperfections, you should consult a dermatologist. I have my dermatologist on speed dial, and I invited his wife to join my book club. I send them a Moravian Sugar Cake at the holidays. You don't have to be that close with your dermatologist, but when you're trying to get in an emergency visit for the pityriasis alba that popped up after your girls beach trip, you'll thank me for the advice.