Our dietary habits play a big role when we are aiming to maintain healthy skin! When I’m talking about “diet” in no way am I speaking about goals of losing weight, total body wellness is important when striving for a clear and radiant complexion. Certain proteins and carbs work with different vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies and the skin's barrier functioning properly. Since we are all different, there is no one specific diet that will lead to bright, healthy skin. But, there are definitely some good things we can add or subtract from our diet to help our skin look clearer and more radiant! With each different skin type, concern, or condition comes different nutritional changes that can be made to achieve the healthiest skin possible.

As an esthetician and wellness enthusiast, I have learned and experienced many different ways of approaching diet when it comes to our skin’s health. I’m sharing all my helpful info with you all!

An Esthetician's Guide to Getting the Best Facial

Think about the results we ideally want from a facial. What are some words that come to mind? Clear skin, healthy skin, glowing face, soft skin? All of these are things that come to mind for me when I think about regular facial visits to your trusted esthetician. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we hope to leave a facial feeling amazing about our renewed skin. Unfortunately, a positive facial experience isn’t something that happens for everyone; sometimes you can leave a facial feeling bummed that your skin didn’t get the care/treatment you had wanted or hoped for. I’m giving you my best tips and esthetician info for getting the best facial possible and finding an esthetician that can be your teammate for achieving better skin!

My Go-To Product For Travel ✈️

Multipurpose beauty balms are luxurious, nourishing salves that treat skin, hair, and nails in several different ways. We wanted a beauty balm that had ALL the perks. Not only did we want something that softened and protected dry patches but also a balm that helped repair and grow brows and lashes. Speaking of brows and lashes, we also wanted a product that could tame stray hairs making everything lay nice and uniform. So we decided to formulate our very own multipurpose balm!

Katherine M StribakosSeptember 27, 2022skin care blog, skin care, skin care knowledge, skin care tips, glowing skin, beauty balm, beauty tips, beauty, beauty blog, wellness, spa, facComment

An Esthetician’s Guide to Using Toner

As an esthetician, I’ll sometimes meet clients who are bypassing the toning step in their skincare routine at home. A few reasons I’ve found why people are skipping a toner at home are that they see it as an unnecessary step, they are not sure when or what kind to use, or they’ve had a bad experience with a toner product. When used correctly, using a daily toner is really beneficial to your skin’s health and also your skincare routine

scrub me's 3 step process to defeating dry skin

During this season a lot of us are looking for ways to feel nourished and hydrated instead of uncomfortable and dry. Scrub me has a 3 step process to make defeating dry skin easy!

Fragrance oil vs. essential oil.

In recent years so many of us have become more aware of what ingredients are in the skincare we buy and what ingredients we should be avoiding. Fragrance or perfume is up at the top of the list of ingredients to avoid in skincare, especially facial care. But, sometimes I see some confusion about the difference between fragrance and essential oil and what’s good or bad for your skin. Let’s break it down!

Easy tips to keep skin moisturized in winter.

Dry skin lacks the proper oils and barrier health that keeps it soft, smooth, and healthy feeling. With the proper care, you can help the skin on your face and body retain moisture all year round! Here are my best tips and product suggestions for dry skin.

scrub me™ loves bar soap: A reference guide to all our soaps!

If you haven't already noticed, scrub me™ loves bar soap! We make our soaps with rich oils and plant-based ingredients that help skin be at its healthiest. There are lots of options out on the market and unless you're a skincare expert it's hard to tell what's best for you. Not all soaps are created equal.

What is a back facial?

Tips to fighting new congestion from facial masks. (maskne)

PPE like facial coverings and masks are a new part of life! Masks have shown to be essential for our health and to slow the spread of coronavirus so we want to make them a habit now that we are starting to slowly resume social activities and work. For many of us, our skin is being affected by wearing facial masks for long hours every day. With many clients, and even myself I am seeing more impacted congestion and breakouts around the mouth, chin, and nose area. But don’t ditch the facial protection just to save your skin! I have both home skincare tips and facial treatment suggestions that will help clear breakouts and fight future congestion.

Have the BEST bold brows.

Full, defined but still natural-looking eyebrows are the most requested type of brow in my skincare studio. I think a slightly thicker, naturally shaped brow fits everyone’s facial shape really well and helps highlight beautiful facial features! If you’re looking for full, defined, natural-looking brows, I have a 3-step process to share with you that will give you just that. This brow routine will have your brows looking so on point that you won’t feel the need to fill them in with makeup.

Let's all try facial gua sha.

About a decade ago I only thought of facial massage as a method for relaxation; I soon began to learn through esthetics training and research that facial massage could detoxify, lift, contour, and bring new life into our skin. I’ve been obsessed with various kinds of facial massage for years but it wasn’t until about two years ago that I became aware of gua sha. The more I read about facial gua sha and looked at these amazing before and after photos of people that have received treatments I knew I had to learn more about it.

New things for scrub me™ skin care studio!

My skincare studio has moved from the Halsted location in River West to a studio space in Wicker Park. I was so sentimental about the Halsted location because it was scrub me™ skin care studio’s first home, I took some time to say my proper goodbyes before I moved on. What makes me so excited about the new space is that I’m sure you’re all going to absolutely love it! scrub me™ skin care studio is moving into a space with newly constructed salon suites; construction wrapped up in late May so the studio is going to be totally brand new. It will be the same relaxing, clean, & comfortable vibe with some added bonuses! In the same building as scrub me™ skin care studio, there will be other beauty businesses for you to check out like hair & lash services. This could end up being your one-stop shop for beauty.

Celebrating 10 years as an esthetician with skincare words of wisdom.

Spring 2020 marks ten years of working as an esthetician for me! In January 2010 I graduated from the Aveda Institute in Chicago, took my Illinois state board test shortly after, and scored an “esthetician in training” gig at a local spa. I have to admit, after graduating from esthetics school and passing my big test I thought I was a skincare pro. While I had the knowledge, I would learn over the years that experience with a wide variety of people, skin types, conditions, products, and treatments is what gives the most valuable skincare wisdom.

Tips for optimizing your at-home skincare routine.

Current global situations have us all spending a lot more time at home for the month of March. Doing things that are both relaxing and productive seems like the best way to stay sane and contribute to our overall wellness. I think a great way to do that is to dedicate some extra time to make your at-home skincare routine the best it can be! I’m breaking this blog post up into sections depending on skin type so I can really get specific on what types of products are best for you specifically. Let’s get started!