What do’s and don’ts Esthetician, Rachel Johnson, suggests we follow. The ultimate guide to helping your skin care products, help you.
At home skincare has taken off since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. With more free time and less outings available people have found ways to spice up their time and their looks. A year later, we are sitting down with Rachel Johnson who has worked as an esthetician for more than two years to give you the stop or pass on four recent skin care trends.
Paper Face Masks
These face masks have become a staple of skin care nights and Instagram selfies, but they might not be giving their promised benefits. “They’re definitely not the best masks,” Johnson said. “Anything that comes on paper, isn’t going to penetrate into your skin as much as applying a cream.”
While they aren’t doing any harm to your skin, you can save yourself the small fortune and invest in a mask that will give a deeper cleanse. For those who have a hard time parting with their mess-free and easy-to- apply paper masks, Johnson said there are some brands that will work better than others, it all comes down to what ingredients are in the mask and work well for your skin.
Jade Rollers
These green gems have begun to dominate another area of the beauty industry, moving from jewelry to skin care. Jade rollers have been used to apply moisturizer, serums or just as a cooling stimulation to the skin.
“Jade rollers are a must. They’re perfect for anyone’s routine, great for depuffing the skin and circulation,” Johnson said.
These rollers live up to their hype and provide many benefits to the skin.
“Anything that is going to massage your face is turning over your cell count and that’s how we stay younger, have less wrinkles and more of a glow,” Johnson said. For those of us not looking to break the bank on a pure jade roller, Johnson has good news.
“The knockoffs can be okay, just because it’s not so much that the jade itself is great, it’s the coolness, the stone texture and how you use it.”
While real jade will hold its coolness better, your TJ Maxx knockoff will give the same benefits with the right technique.
Exfoliants
Exfoliating has been so popular, that many brands are starting to market their own exfoliating face washes and scrubs.
“Exfoliating is one of the number one steps in any facial I do,” Johnson said. She recommends a jojoba bead exfoliant and says everybody should be using a physical exfoliant in their routine.
Chemical exfoliants are just as important but are trickier when it comes to usage.
“The chemical ones are definitely your tougher exfoliators, if you’re wanting to work on cystic acne, acne scarring or anti-aging, that’s when you want to up into those chemical exfoliants,” Johnson said.
Depending on your skin concerns, you can keep reaching for your physical exfoliants or make a call to your local esthetician about finding a chemical one that is right for you.
Extraction Tools + Estheticians
The internet is a place full of many gross but satisfying things and is no stranger to a good pimple popping video. Small metal extraction tools and pore vacuums have made their way into many of our screens and mailboxes. Johnson says that while we are taught not to pick at our acne, extracting is important as long as it is done safely. Extracting tools are safer than using our fingers because they prevent over-picking that leads to scarring and inflammation.
“It’s important to never over pick, pop it and move on.”
While Johnson gives us the okay on extraction tools, she advises us to stay away from at home pore vacuums.
“The pore vacuums are an absolutely awesome treatment, get it done by a professional. Anything you’re using at home you can’t adjust the suction to that person’s skin. Everyone that I do extractions on, I evaluate their skin first and then I know how harsh I want to be on them.”
One of the best additions you can make to your skincare routine is an esthetician. Even if you do not have major skincare concerns such as acne, scarring or aging, your esthetician can help give you your healthiest glow and keep you from aging faster.
“Everyone can talk to an esthetician. Everyone ages and everyone is going to be insecure at some point in their life about what’s happening to their skin as it changes,” Johnson said.
A simple one-time conversation with an esthetician can set you up for a prolonged period of healthy skin.
“One really nice thing about most estheticians that I know, is they will tell you advice for free. Come in and we’ll do a skin analysis and I’ll even tell you what to use at home, just to help people stay on top more so they’re not having these bigger problems they spend so much time and money correcting later.”
