8 complexion clearing tips from an esthetician.
Giving skincare advice is one of my favorite things to do as an esthetician. When I ask my clients what their #1 skincare goal is so many say “A clear complexion!”. Here are some of my top tips that apply to every skin type for a clear, radiant complexion. Have specific questions regarding your skin? Leave your question in the comments section below.
Choose a great cleanser for your skin.
Your cleanser is one of the most important parts of your skincare routine. I have seen so many of my client’s skin improve after switching to a cleanser that better benefited their skin. If a cleanser is too harsh for your skin or contains sensitizing ingredients, your skin’s barrier can react by becoming unbalanced. When this barrier imbalance happens we will often see redness, small red bumps, dryness, or uneven texture. Below I’m going to list a few cleansers I recommend.
scrub me secret: over-cleansing can also cause redness, flakiness, and uneven texture. I recommend cleansing your face no more than twice a day. Some skin types, like dry and sensitive skin types, benefit from cleansing only once a day. A lot of my facial clients find their skin really likes cleansing in the PM only.
Cleansers for all skin types:
Both the PCA facial wash and the scrub me balancing bar are great choices for all skin types. The balancing bar I make with both skin nourishing oils and oils to cleanse the skin. Added oats and kaolin clay provide anti-inflammatory properties that benefit all skin types during cleansing. The PCA facial wash is a gel-based cleanser that creates a Ph balancing foamy cleansing experience. It gives your face a clean but not “squeaky clean” feeling. If you’re unsure about what cleanser is right for you or if you want a nice basic cleanser in your routine, I recommend choosing either of these.
Cleansers for dry skin types:
Creamier cleansers are better for really dry or sensitive skin types. My favorite creamy cleaners are the Ology Essentials CBD facial cleanser and Herbivore pink cloud rosewater jelly cleanser. A creamy cleanser cleanses away dirt and oils from the skin without stripping any oils at all, this is important for a dry skin type that doesn’t produce much oil.
scrub me secret: For red and sensitive skin types I really like the results of the Ology Essentials CBD cleanser. A gentle cleanse plus the major anti-inflammatory properties of the CBD is perfect for skin that is reactive to most other cleansers. Following up with a CBD toner provides even better soothing effects.
Cleansers for acne and congestion:
For skin with consistent breakouts or acne, it’s good to incorporate either a healing cleanser or a cleanser with bacteria-killing properties; you can even try out alternating the use of both types of cleansers. A bacteria-killing cleanser like the PCA with benzoyl peroxide uses a potent bacteria-killing ingredient (benzoyl peroxide) to fight bacteria in your breakouts. A cleanser like this should only be used daily if you have acne and oily skin. For dry or sensitive skin types with acne, only use this bacteria-killing cleanser a couple of times a week. This is where it’s good to have a deep cleaning, healing cleanser in your routine as well. The scrub me clarifying bar is a facial soap I make with healing calendula flowers and skin brightening lemongrass; this bar is great for treating acne-prone skin while protecting skin health. I really like healing ingredients for acneic skin types, it helps speed up the recovery post-breakout.
Incorporate toners into your routine.
Having a toner in your skincare routine will boost the effects of your other skincare products and ensure they work their best. The key is to choose the correct type of toner for your skin type. A traditional astringent toner like one with witch hazel is great for oily skin types but can actually damage skin that doesn’t produce a lot of oil. I always suggest adding a toner or facial mist with vitamins and nutrients that support the skin’s health. I like Heritage Rose Water for a hydrating facial toner, it’s super simple and works for any skin type. Applying this after cleansing will help serums and moisturizers sink in more deeply and add some extra hydration to the skin. I also like PCA nutrient-rich toner for breakout-prone skin types or those wanting a more even complexion, the pumpkin extract and clove help with these problems. One last facial toner to mention that is one of my most favorites is the Ology Essentials CBD toner, for ultimate redness and complexion clearing benefits this CBD toner is the one I recommend the most.
scrub me secret: You can also use a facial toner to refresh your skin mid-day. If you’re feeling congested, sweaty, or oily, put some toner on a cotton pad and gently wipe your face. Re-apply your SPF if it is still daylight. This is a better option instead of an extra cleanse. If your skin is feeling dull, dry, or tight spritz your toner onto your face with a spritz bottle.
Spot treat, don’t pick.
I know how hard it is to not pick at a new pimple or breakout. I have a few tips that are going to help so much! Apply a soothing product like the scrub me soothing mask or hydrocortisone (or try both) as a spot treatment to the breakout and area of redness. Leave this on for a few hours or overnight and remove it with a cool cloth. The redness should have gone down a lot from the anti-inflammatory treatment. From here your breakout will be less noticeable and you can spot treat it with BPO spot treatment or a clay mask until it goes away. Stubborn blackheads can be removed during a facial with your esthetician.
Incorporate a chemical exfoliant into your routine.
Alpha hydroxy acids like lactic, malic, and glycolic are popular chemical exfoliants. Incorporating a well-formulated alpha hydroxy acid product into your skincare routine is going to be something that promotes an overall clear complexion and healthy glow. Products like these, while very helpful, can be sensitizing to your skin if not used correctly. I always suggest starting out using the product 1-2x a week and moving up from there. In my personal opinion, an exfoliant like this is best used 4x a week at most. Less is more, we want to give the skin time to heal and regenerate. Talk with your personal dermatologist or esthetician to see what they think is best. I like these chemical exfoliant products for promoting a clearer complexion: Kalos Alpha Lyra cleanser, Herbivore Prism mask, PCA Revitalize mask, and SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense serum.
scrub me secret: chemical exfoliants should be incorporated into your PM skincare routine. If you choose a cleanser with chemical exfoliants this product will replace your cleanser on the nights you choose to exfoliate. Alpha hydroxy acid masks are to be used post-cleansing & toning. if you choose an exfoliating serum, this is also to be used after cleansing and toner. follow up with your hydrators.
Use a high-quality vitamin C serum.
A great vitamin C serum can help every skin type achieve a more radiant complexion. When a powerful antioxidant vitamin C is delivered into our skin cells it fights free radicals that degrade and age our skin. Vitamin C also provides healing benefits that promote clearer skin. In order for this ingredient to work its best, it needs a well-formulated product that contains ingredients that support an active form of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid). Vitamin E has been shown to be a great supporting vitamin for vitamin C, that is why both of my favorite vitamin C serums contain vitamin E as well. I have been using the PCA C&E Strength serum for years and I recommend it to all my clients, it provides amazing results. I also really like SkinCeuticals Vitamin C E Ferulic serum, it provides great anti-aging, protecting, and brightening results as well. Vitamin C is best used in the AM, right before your moisturizer/SPF.
Choose A well-formulated moisturizer & SPF.
Choosing the right moisturizer:
First things first, make sure your moisturizer doesn’t have “parfum” or fragrance anywhere on the ingredients label. Some essential oils are fine and can even be beneficial but the fragrance is an artificial and skin-irritating ingredient that can be inhibiting a clear complexion. We also want to avoid pore-clogging lanolin and mineral oil; these are some things to look out for when checking your moisturizer ingredients list. For dry and aging skin types, I like to recommend a moisturizer with moisture-retaining benefits or added collagen. Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream and PCA Collagen Hydrator are great for skin types that need more hydration. Elta Md has a great lightweight moisturizer for skin types that produce more oils. Ology essentials CBD facial lotion is lightweight enough for congested skin but also feels good on dry skin types, this is great for redness and acne.
Daily SPF:
Daily SPF is a great habit to get into. This habit will protect your skin from aging and also protect it from getting new freckles and dark spots. Even when the sun isn’t out we can still absorb damaging UVA rays. SPF can also protect you from UV rays that come through windows as well as damaging blue light rays that come from our phones and computers. I like the selection of facial SPFs from both Elta Md and PCA. Learn more about sun protection in my blog post-New Year’s Resolution to Sun Protection.
Have an anti-inflammatory product in your skincare arsenal.
No matter what skin type you have it’s safe to say you’ll experience a breakout, redness, or a sensitive patch somewhere on your face at some point in your life. For some of us these red spots, breakouts, or other inflammation comes around more often than others. It’s always great to have a calming or soothing product in your at-home skincare arsenal. You don’t need to incorporate this into your daily routine but it’s nice to have on hand when you’re skin is experiencing some inflammation. The Hale and Hush skincare line have a bio relief powder that works wonders for taking down the appearance of redness. Just tap this powder onto your problemed areas and let it sit on your skin. The scrub me soothing powder mask is also great for soothing redness as it contains a lot of oats, spot treat breakouts, or areas of redness with this mask. You can also take the Ology Essentials CBD toner and put it in the refrigerator for a soothing and cooling effect. Keeping inflammation in the skin as low as possible is pertinent for a clear complexion.
scrub me secret: having a cooling facial tool in your freezer like cooling facial globes or a jade roller is also a great way to treat redness in your face. Make sure your facial tool is clean and then glide it along your face in small sections, working the tool from the inner part of your face, out. This will help constrict blood vessels to make redness less visible and promote lymph drainage.
Receive a facial every 4-6 weeks.
Visiting a trusted esthetician (like myself) every 4-6 weeks for a facial treatment is another secret to helping your skin be in its best condition. During a facial, we decongest the skin, heal areas that are damaged, treat specific concerns like dark spotting, aging, pore size, etc. and rebalance/hydrate the skin. This is important to have done about every 6 weeks because we want to be able to catch new congestion early as well as make progress in areas we have been focusing on. Extractions of blackheads and whiteheads can only be done properly in the esthetic treatment room. Skin will also heal from breakouts a lot more quickly after a facial. Most importantly, your esthetician will be able to keep track of your skin’s health so if it starts to show a decline in improvement that problem can be caught early and remedied. I see most of my clients once a month and we always chat about your current skin condition and any new goals, and I take a closer look to see how exactly to tailor the facial to benefit your face the most. This is the time when you can also ask any questions about new products or skincare trends you’re curious about. Having an esthetician is like having a person skincare therapist, a total must-have!
