I’m sure you’ve heard it over and over again: Moisturize your skin.

As a 24 year old, I’ve been taking care of my skin and using anti-aging moisturizers and lotions since I was about 15-16 years old — completely out of the sake I never wanted to get wrinkles.  Anti-oxidants and other components are good at helping prevent free-radical damage, and this was something I wanted to avoid.

But really, I began to wonder, why does everyone focus on our faces?  Isn’t the rest of our body just as important?

Our hands and knees begin to show aging rapidly, and very early on.  While there are reversible (and expensive) procedures to reverse this, isn’t it important we take care of it from the start?

Hydration is important for all of our organs to function.  While drinking water will not keep your skin hydrated (contrary to popular belief, anything we ingest has little -if anything- to do with our skin, unless it’s chemical like Retin-A), it’s important to keep your organs hydrated and keep you functioning properly.  Skin happens to be the body’s largest organ!

So what do moisturizers do?  Moisturizers are humectants – that means they bind moisture to your skin!  They prevent moisture from escaping your skin, and keep free radicals and oxygen off of your skin.  Many also include a sunscreen, which is excellent to prevent UV damage which is the number one cause of aging!

There are different types of moisturizers for all over your body.  There are body moisturizers, facial moisturizers, and eye moisturizers.  Now, why is it important to use different ones for different areas?

Body moisturizers (lotions, oils) tend to be the most general.  While you can often apply it to the face, I wouldn’t recommend it, and definitely never around the eyes.  You should apply your body lotion directly after showering, after lightly patting dry your skin.  This keeps the moisture in and from escaping, which often happens when you leave the bathroom and there is a drastic change of temperature between the steamy bathroom, and your hallway.  Don’t forget to apply everywhere!  Butts, boobs, back, feet, hands…. I mean everywhere.

Facial moisturizers should be applied to the face and neck area.  The neck tissue is similar to that of the face, and is more prone to clogged pores.  These moisturizers are designed for specific use in this area, because the skin on our neck, and faces, is thinner than over the rest of our bodies.  Plus, the area is more sensitive — so these products are going to contain less irritating ingredients.  What may not irritate your legs, may irritate your face or neck!  You can also get facial moisturizers that contain salicylic acid, which will help with breakouts in acne-prone skin.  Never apply moisturizers inside the skin past the auricular socket (your eye socket).  It is not tested for safety around the eye, and may be irritating especially for contact lens wearers.  If you feel it works okay for you, then fine, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it with every moisturizer.  If it contains fragrance, I put a big no in putting it around your eyes (and honestly, wouldn’t recommend putting it on the face either — fragrances have been known to cause irritation in typically normal skin!).

Eye moisturizer, obviously, is applied to your eyelid and underneath your eye.  It is formulated specifically for use in this area, so it’s extra, extra gentle.

A common question regarding moisturizing, is what you should do for your skin type.

I recommend, always, to treat your skin first and foremost as if it is sensitive.  Avoid products with synthetic dyes and fragrances, as they can create irritation when there was none after prolonged use.  Remember that not all moisturizers that say they are formulated for sensitive skin really are.  Check your ingredient listing to avoid known skin irritants rather than listening to a label!  If your skin is very dehydrated, there are creamier moisturizers that will put more moisture in.  And for oily skin, they have moisturizers that are also designed to reduce the appearance of shine!

Should oily skin still moisturize?  I will conclude yes.  If you have oily skin, chances are you use a stronger cleanser with anti-bacterial properties that will dry up the excess sebum — and often astringents that are very similar.  This will dehydrate your skin, and throughout the day, end up exacerbating your sebaceous glands…. Creating more oil that you wouldn’t have to deal with if your skin was already properly hydrated.

Just use a lightweight moisturizer, as using much isn’t necessary and you don’t need deep or intense hydration.  Use one with little to no oil content.  If you’re concerned, place the moisturizer on the back of your hand, rub it in gently.  If it feels warm, it has a high oil content.  If it feels cool, it has a high water content — which is what you are looking for!  High water concentration creates evaporation, which makes this cooling feeling, whereas oil does not evaporate.

As for acne-prone skin — pustules (those little suckers you shouldn’t pop, but do anyway) are caused by bacteria — bacteria that we already have in our skin.  This bacteria feeds on our sebum (our “oil”), making white blood cells rush to the site.  This ends up rupturing the follicle walls, causing these nasty little buggers!  So drying out your skin can definitely exacerbate break-outs, as sebaceous glands will work harder and produce more oil in a short period of time to make up for the loss of moisture.

White heads are caused by dead skin, and sebum mixing together in the pores.  Blackheads are the same, only add some grime in there too!  Both of these can be exacerbated by over moisturizing, so be careful.

Be lighter with the moisturizer in areas where you’re normally very oily, just apply a thin layer of it.   You can always add more if it feels it needs it.  Similarly, add more moisturizer or use a thicker moisturizer in areas where you need it.

Some moisturizers can cause milia (tiny bumps and cysts on our skin), so if you are using a moisturizer and end up getting this — quit using it immediately as it will only add to the problem.  Switch promptly!

My favorite drug-store moisturizer is Olay Complete for Sensitive Skin with SPF 15 for the face.  L’Oreal has an excellent eye cream that is also equally affordable!  Both of these come in generic versions at Wal-Mart that are equally impressive — and less damaging on your wallet!

Otherwise, my favorite brands for “high-end” skincare are MD Formulations, Dermalogica and Bioelements.  All have great anti-bacterial cleansers that work well for sensitive skin, and moisturizers that are lightweight and designed to reduce redness and sensitivity as well!

For the body, I typically use Vaseline lotion for sensitive skin.  I never splurge on body moisturizer seeing as I use a LOT of it!

(I’m going to start adding for your homework sections, as I want you all to leave comments and communicate to me so I know what my readers are up to!)

For your homework: What do you use to moisturize your face, eyes, and body?  What’s your least favorite, and your favorite?  Read my answers in the comments!

This is a question I get asked consistently when I’m working on other faces, or answering questions via e-mail (which I do regularly, so if you have a question, be sure to hit me an e-mail at molly.loretta@gmail.com, I promise to answer!).

I figure, why not answer here?

I don’t want to get slapped for saying this, but….

I think foundation primer is 100% optional.

Foundation primer really helps to smooth out the skin for application, and while I do find that it smooths the skin and I use less foundation…. I also feel like around the general problem areas (the t-zone), that it gets oily FASTER, as well as the foundation tends to WEAR OFF. I think it’s good on cheeks, and I do think there are some great primers out there (Like Make Up For Ever’s All Mat or Smashbox Photo Finish Light, I haven’t tried it on myself more than the back of my hand, but I’m sure Urban Decay’s Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion should work fabulously as well), I just don’t think they’re necessary.

Not to mention, many foundations are silicone based now, or at the very least have silicones in them.  If they have silicones in them, it’s already going to help with application and wear.  So you’re just putting silicone on top of silicone…. Which is a little silly, in my opinion.  Silicone is what makes a base a base and makes products apply on smoothly, so why more if you don’t need it?

I do think primer is fabulous on drier skin types; in fact I prefer it.  If for no other reason it makes the dry areas less visible, those flakes just seem to disappear — however you don’t need to buy one for dry skin if you have dry skin, any matte primer would do.  I also love it if you’re using a powder foundation as opposed to a liquid or  cream it makes the finish much smoother.

But is it necessary and a crucial step in make up application?  In my opinion…. No.

Questions?  Just ask!

All Nixie updates have been forwarded to this post.  Please bookmark for company updates as I receive them.

Just an update.

Today I received my Nixie Cosmetics order I placed last month. I’m assuming that since they closed down their LA store location (since it wasn’t an official retail outlet, I can understand not wanting to pay rent at a place you’re not using), that orders have been incredibly backed up while they move any products they had in there out and reorganizing everything. No letter was included stating that they weren’t a business.

They expedited the shipping as well.

I’m going to safely assume that since the site is still accepting orders, that they are still a company. Why? Because they have to pay for credit card processing. I don’t know why a company would want to pay for each credit card process (the individual fees can get hefty) if they weren’t still a business. Next, if they went out of business, I would think they’d still want to get rid of back-stock. I sure would!

Not to mention if they aren’t and are still accepting orders, it would be considered fraud.  Which is punishable by Federal Law.

Since Nixie is a newer company (coming to light in 2007) I’m hoping we can all cut them a break. The products are fantastic, and I’m sure they’ll get their customer service down. Small companies have a harder time since there are less people working for them.

I plan on making another order in September, and I’ll let you know how that goes as well, just to make sure everything is in working order!

Okay pale ladies, this one is for us!

Tools you will need:

• Your bottle of foundation (make sure you check the ingredient listing and check the first ingredient to see what the base of the foundation is!  Mine is water based.)
• Titanium dioxide (buy it here at Coastal Scents, it is water and oil soluble!)
• Distilled water (optional, and ONLY for water-based foundations!)
• Disinfected mixing bowl (I use a hair color one that has an end for pouring, making it ideal for putting the foundation back into the bottle).
• Small mixing spatula.
• Small scoop.
• Extra small wire whisk.

Are you ready?  Here we go!

• Begin by first washing and disinfecting your hands, or putting on a pair of gloves to ensure no bacteria enters your product.
• Pour your foundation into the bowl.
• Using your small scoop, scoop a small amount of titanium dioxide onto your foundation.
• Using the wire whisk, stir and mix in, getting out as many of those little bumps as you can.
• Take your small spatula and test a small area on your jawline.  The foundation will still look darker than it will when it is applied, so make sure you apply tiny amounts until you get the right color.
• Add more titanium dioxide if necessary or desired, and whisk again!  (I needed quite a bit, seeing as I am one shade darker than white!)

Check the consistency of your product.  Is it too thick now?  If you’re using a water based foundation, simply take some distilled water (an eye dropper works wonders for this), and slowly add until it’s the proper consistency.  A little will go a long way with both distilled water, and titanium dioxide.

I photographed my titanium dioxide mixture with flash, and did not notice a difference in color between the camera and the way it looked on my skin.

Titanium dioxide will make the foundation more opaque, and also add longevity to the wear.  To reduce opacity, just add a little bit of distilled water.  Make sure you use distilled, as it is the cleanest and most purified water out there — remember using it in chemistry class all the time, or is it just me?!

For you dark skinned ladies, avoid the titanium dioxide!  It does tend to make darker complected ladies a little ashy (if you’re above a medium tan, I’d skip adding more, as anything about 7% titanium dioxide will make your skin a little gray, like a zombie).  Instead, get a foundation that’s slightly lighter than your skintone, and follow the directions but add instead colored oxides!  They have a medium brown, dark brown, and black available at Coastal Scents that mix wonderfully.  BUT BE CAREFUL; a little bit when adding color goes a long, long way, so put in a tiny amount at a time!

Please remember to only do this for your personal use.  If you need to custom blend a foundation for a photo shoot, that is fine, but remember you cannot alter a company’s product and sell it as the same product.

This is a common question that seems to arise frequently — how often should you cut your hair, and more important — why should you cut it that often?

As a cosmetologist, I realize that many of your stylists (and mine in the past) have never exactly explained why trims are so important and vital to hair maintenance.  Us knowing why we’re doing something should be vastly important, as it determines whether or not we actually do it.

I guess that explaining how our hair is made, and what it is made up of is essential to describing why we need to cut it, and what causes split ends.

Our hair is made up of only two layers — the cuticle (the outermost layer) and the cortex (this portion contains the pigment).  Some of us have three layers, the absolute innermost layer being the medulla — which holds absolutely no purpose at all, so I’m not going to continue talking about it.

The cuticle protects the hair, but only to an extent.  When you color or lighten your hair, the peroxide swells the cuticle, raising it up to penetrate inside to alter the melanin (pigment) in your cortex.  Once rinsed, shampooed, and conditioned, the cuticle still won’t lay completely flat, especially after lightening.

The cuticle also swells under heat, which is why many stylists will have you under a dryer when they use color or lightener — to ensure that it penetrates the hair.  Yes, even heat damages the cuticle.  That is including and not limited to heat styling, blow drying, flat ironing, etc.

Splitting is caused by a continuously raised cuticle making the ends rough and easy to break.  The protective layer is so damaged that the rest of the hair has difficulty functioning without it.  Hello, split ends!

The only possible solution to repair split ends is by putting protein treatments on your hair.  This is something I would recommend having done at a stylist unless it is a leave-in treatment, as too much protein can also break your hair.  It still won’t completely fix it, but it will help.

So, how often should you get your hair cut, and why?

I recommend every 4-6 weeks, as do most cosmetologists across the board.

Now, the most important question, why?

The answer is relatively simple, however many people don’t think about it.  How often do you blow dry your hair?  Do you use a flat iron or curling iron?  Is it color-treated?  Do you brush it when wet?  Do you wash it daily?  All of these make your hair ends split, and once they start splitting, they do not stop, causing serious breakage of your hair shaft.

Typically, there is more breakage than there would be if you were getting a trim every 4-6 weeks (a trim is taking about a quarter inch off of your hair, it is not necessarily a hair cut, just removing the split ends).  Hair grows half an inch a month, taking off a quarter inch every month isn’t making your hair shorter at all, it’s just removing the dead ends and preventing breakage, which is the huge culprit.  Many people rarely get trims because they think they don’t have to, and they don’t see much of a change — that’s because their hair is breaking off from damage and it really doesn’t look like they need a trim at all — because all those damaged ends are gone from excessive damage!

Even washing your hair creates damage.  The heat in the shower raises the cuticle, and helps to cleanse, but many of us are not giving a cold shot of water on our heads afterward to seal the cuticle, and a number of people also do not use conditioner.

Let’s keep in mind that a hair cut and hair trim are two different things.  You get a hair cut to maintain a style, you get a hair trim to maintain hair health.  If your hair is tangling a lot, it’s typically due to damage and split ends, which has raised cuticle so it isn’t as smooth and won’t lay as well or be as easy to manage.

So here are some tips to maintain hair health in between hair trimming (which I recommend fully):

• Let your hair air dry if you can.  If you can avoid over-use of the dryer, you will have less split ends.  I let mine dry while I do my make up after towel drying it, and then blow dry whatever is necessary after that if I have somewhere to be.
• Pat your hair dry, don’t rub!  This causes a lot of friction and tangles which can also cause breakage.
• Use a heat protector when blow drying and heat styling your hair.  There are an abundance of them on the market, so talk to your stylist about the product that is best for you.  I find Chi Silk Infusions works for pretty much every one.
• Comb your hair when wet, never use a brush.  A brush pulls and pulls, and your hair has the most elasticity (stretching-ability) when wet.  If it’s damaged, it is going to break!  Use a wide tooth comb, please!
• If you do have split ends and don’t want to go to the stylist for a trim, use a protein treatment!  They have great conditioners for it that help to repair as much as possible and strengthen the hair so that it doesn’t break, and helps the cuticle to lay back down so the breakage isn’t obvious.  I also would recommend a gentle leave in conditioner.
• If you insist on coloring your hair at home, only color the regrowth area (get a friend to help) — don’t color all the way to the ends with permanent color.  And if you go to a salon, ask if she can touch up your ends with a demi-permanent color that matches, or just pulling the color through for the last 10 minutes.  This will refresh your color without nearly as much damage.
• Condition your hair when you shampoo.  Just condition the ends at least (I don’t condition the whole head, as the sebum from my scalp keeps the start of my hair from being too dry).  This will help to seal the cuticle and keep it moisturized!
• Remember, your hair grows half an inch every 3-4 weeks on average.  A trim is only taking off a quarter inch every 4-6 weeks to maintain hair health.  Your hair is still growing faster than you are trimming it, and trimming it will prevent breakage which will take off more than a trim!  Cut your hair every 3-4 weeks if you need to maintain a certain style (depending on how rapidly your hair grows).

Proper hair care will help keep your hair more beautiful, for a longer period of time!  Keep that in mind ladies and gents!