Jeanne answers all your skincare myths and explains the reasoning behind it! We delve into questions about hyaluronic acid, natural vs. synthetic skincare, and sunscreen blocking vitamin D - to name a few.
Jeanne answers your most pressing questions about common skincare myths. She also explains the reasoning behind her answers and offers some great additional tips and suggestions.
00:00 - Introduction.
00:58 - Myth 1: Are natural skincare ingredients better than synthetic? Jeanne explains what occurs in natural ingredients and how these can influence our skin routine.
07:29 - Myth 2: Is hyaluronic acid the holy grail for hydration? The answer may surprise you!
09:43 - Myth 3: We have to be extremely gentle with our skin and only was with our fingertips.
10:37 - Myth 4: Sunscreen blocks vitamin D.
12:24 - Myth 5: You have to remove dead surface skin.
14:14 - Myth 6: The body can handle different and/or harsher skincare practices than the face, neck and chest.
16:06 - Myth 7: We cleanse our skin to free or clear it from bacteria.
18:27 - Myth 8: Sleep does not affect your skin.
19:08 - Conclusion
Jeanne Retief: FIGGI Beauty Shop | My FIGGI Life Podcast | My FIGGI Life Blog | Instagram | Facebook
[00:00:00.250] - Jeanne
So good morning, FIGGI goddess, and welcome to another episode of the My FIGGI Life podcast. Today, it's a really fun episode because I'm gonna be going through all of your skincare myths that come up the most that I see the most on social media that you've asked me about the most. If you're interested in all of these skincare myth busting kind of conversations, then stick around it.
[00:00:26.040] - Intro
The Figgi Beauty skincare line is, here the best skincare routine for your dry and sensitive skin. FIGGI Sensei soul regimen gives you back the power to indulge in skincare luxury without upsetting your skin's delicate balance. Finally, someone created a luxury skincare experience for goddesses with dry and sensitive skin on sale in the US now shop at www.Figgi.eu.
[00:00:50.500] - Jeanne
Okay, so let's talk a little bit about some very common skin care myths. Myth number one natural is better than synthetic. This one I'm going to approach with caution because there are a lot of really, really strong feelings about this. And at the end of the day, for me, I feel that skincare is one of the most personal things you have to do, what feels good to you and what you feel the most comfortable with. Okay, just to be super clear on that. But natural isn't always better than synthetic, and there are a couple of reasons why. First of all, a lot of fruit extracts contain naturally contain alpha hydroxylic acids like glycolic acid, mandelic acid, salicylic acid. What these are are the exfoliating acids that we use in chemical exfoliation these days. Everybody loves to exfoliate. I think most people exfoliate way too much. I've spoken about exfoliation with sensitive skin so many times. So if you're interested in that, just read any of our blog posts about that or follow us on Instagram at Jeanne_figgilife. Basically, you should be careful with acids because you don't know what concentration they are in.
[00:02:11.260] - Jeanne
So I'm thinking a lot about these videos that you see where people are mixing up fruits and vegetables and all sorts of herbs and stuff in the kitchen and making masks from it or moisturizers. The problem with that is that, as I said, you don't know the percentage of that acid that is in that piece of fruit. And that can be really, really dangerous versus a synthetic process where it's so methodical how much you put into that formulation, like, it's measured to the last millimeter to make sure that it is in the right concentration. So although it's natural, you're not as in control as you may be with a synthetic or a bioengineered process. So you have to be careful. It's the same with plant extracts that you use. A lot of plant extracts naturally contain essential oils, and you don't necessarily know the concentration of that essential oil in that plant that you're using. Whereas, again, in a bioengineered or synthetic process, it's so methodical and so precise as to the percentage of that essential oil that you're using. The other reason is, I think sometimes we forget with synthetic processes, it can many times actually be better for the environment because we're not exploiting the natural resources and we're bioengineering it.
[00:03:39.900] - Jeanne
So it may not be the case with all the ingredients in the world, but in many instances, it can actually be better for the environment to go the synthetic route than it is to go the natural. The other very important thing about natural skincare products is that you have to consider a lot of things. And if it's an all natural skincare product, that means everything in that skincare product needs to be natural, including the preservatives. And what a lot of brands tend to misunderstand with that is to think that they can use antioxidants as preservatives. Like, for example, vitamin E, which is natural and then used as a natural preservative. And that's one of the biggest mistakes you can make because these type of ingredients like vitamin E, oxidize, so they turn brown, and the moment they do that, they don't work. For example, if a vitamin C serum oxidizes, it's not helping you with pigmentation, it's not an antioxidant anymore. You're just putting really dark, expensive goop on your face. Basically the same with vitamin E that you would then use as a preservative. It's not preserving anything. And we have to understand that there are very dangerous microorganisms like bacteria and fungi that can grow in your skincare that can be unbelievably harmful to human health.
[00:04:59.170] - Jeanne
That's why we need preservatives, because skincare is like the perfect breeding ground for these microorganisms. Why? Because it's literally a checklist, a huge checklist of everything that these microorganisms want and need to not only grow, but thrive. And that is things like water. Most skincare is 70% to 80% water. So check really good temperature. Most skincare is stored in room temperature, 19 to 25 degrees. Check a good PH. Most skincare is in a perfect PH, so check humidity. A lot of skincare is kept in the bathroom, which is a humid environment or in humid climates. Check oxygen. A lot of skincare comes in pump bottles, jars, or these dropper bottles. So you're constantly exposing it to air and oxygen and closing it, or you're exposing it to air and oxygen, using your fingers to use it, which has its own plethora of microorganisms on it, closing the tube, leaving it in a human environment to fester. So all of those things that occur in skincare are literally all the things microorganisms love. Having an all natural skincare product is all good and well, but you also have to be safe. And to be safe, you need really good preservatives to keep all of the beauty and the ingredients in your skincare safe for human use.
[00:06:35.310] - Jeanne
The other problem with natural preservatives is that many times there is a lack of understanding of what the safety precautions need to be for natural skincare product for example, you cannot have an all natural skincare product with natural preservatives in a jar. It's, like, so dangerous. It's the worst thing you can do because it's a very high risk skincare packaging container because you're constantly opening it, you're interacting with the product. It's constantly being oxygenated. It's all natural products. The preservative just is not as effective as a synthetic preservative. So if you're using an all natural skincare product with a natural preservative in it, it really doesn't have any other option than to be packaged in a completely airtight, airless skincare packaging container. The second myth is hyaluronic acid, the Holy Grail for hydration. Oh, boy. Okay, this is such a huge conversation because I don't think it's actually possible these days to buy a skincare that doesn't have Ha in it. Everybody advertises that. But if you want to really get technical, no, it's not, because the truth is, glycerin is a much better hydrator than hyaluronic acid. The reason for this is that it's also skin identical, so your skin recognizes it immediately, and your skin doesn't have to go through such a process to convert it to something that the skin can absorb and like and use.
[00:08:13.100] - Jeanne
And the second thing is that the molecules in Glycerin are just insanely smaller than hyaluronic acid. So it's so better at attracting water, keeping water and penetrating, really penetrating into the skin. I personally prefer Glycerin, and that's why all the figgi products are glycerin based. Hyaluronic acid is not bad for you. Let me just be super clear on that. It has got crazy hydration properties. I think the problem with hyaluronic acid is just that because so many skincare products contain it, you many times have a situation where maybe you don't even know it, but you may be using a cleanser with Ha Plus, then applying the moisturizer with Ha Plus. Then applying an anti aging serum with Ha Plus. Then applying a hydration serum with Ha. It's just too much. You're overdoing it. And what can happen is that it can attract water to the skin, to the inside of the skin, but that can actually also dehydrate your skin because it's drawing moisture from the surface of your skin. And yeah, it's just like all good things. There is such a thing as too much of, and you can 150% have too much Ha really hydration that you're looking for because you're struggling with dry and dehydrated skin.
[00:09:37.570] - Jeanne
I would personally rather go with glycerin. The next one is whenever you wash your skin or apply moisturizer, you have to be super soft with your skin, and you have to just use the tips of your fingers. And this is always a little interesting to me because, of course, we don't need to be tugging and pulling on our face. That you absolutely must not be doing. But your skin is also not going to break. You can get a good massage in there to help the blood flow and circulation a little and to help those products penetrate and to get that really deep set oily grime out of your pores when you're cleansing. So, yeah, don't be afraid to get in there. I mean, kind of massage it up a little bit. It's good for your skin as well. Again, like, tug and pull on your skin. But you definitely do not need to be dabbing your cleansers and your moisturizers onto your skin. Don't be afraid to get in there. The next one, sunscreen blocks vitamin D. Oh, my gosh. Oh, this is really a difficult one because there are two situations here. There is a less likely situation, which is the one where the person is actually really applying skincare.
[00:10:57.510] - Jeanne
Skincare gosh, sunscreen, suncare the way that they're supposed to be applying it. So 50% or more, applying it absolutely correctly and not leaving any open spots, reapplying it throughout the day absolutely correctly and not leaving any open spots. And then, yes, if you're doing it like that, it could block vitamin D, but then it becomes like the scale that you're weighing up is it worse to possibly be exposing yourself to skin cancer than it is to drink a vitamin D supplement, and then you kind of have to weigh up those variables. But the more likely process or the more likely scenario is all of us, we don't use 50 plus SPF, or even if we do, we do not apply it correctly. So there are many points in the skin that are not covered by the sunscreen supposed to be UVA. UVB rays do come through, which then do afford you some vitamin D. You don't reapply. So while you're going through your motions in the day, you're maybe touching your skin, you're sweating, maybe, I don't know, you're outside working in the garden, and you get water on your skin or you're swimming, and you don't reapply.
[00:12:08.870] - Jeanne
You don't have sunscreen there, which is, by fact, then not blocking the rays of the sun would grant you beautiful vitamin D. So that's my take on it. You have to remove dead surface skin. This is not a straight answer for me because I have dry and sensitive skin. By the definition of that, dry skin often means flaky skin. And if you have skin like that, your top dead layers of skin are I don't want to be, like, TMI or gross or anything, but they are constantly falling off, okay? And that's what you're supposed to be doing with exfoliating, is removing that kind of dead layer of skin cells to make space for the beautiful new skin. And again, if you have dry skin, it's not difficult to remove that top layer of skin by just cleansing at night or using a washcloth. All of those things are exfoliation. If you have oily skin, the picture may be a little bit different, and it may be a little bit harder for those skin cells to just kind of get themselves loosened. So you may need a little bit of extra help with removing those dead skin cells.
[00:13:19.540] - Jeanne
But as with everything in skincare, every case is unique. Your skin is unique. Every skin type is unique. For my personal, dry, sensitive, dehydrated skin, I would absolutely not be doing anything extra to remove those extra layer of dead skin cells just because I don't need any extra exfoliation. The exfoliation I get through just the normal activities of the day is absolutely enough. But it may be different if you have extremely oily skin. I definitely would not say that this is the type of thing where you need to think, you need to be exfoliating every day. You need a chemical exfoliant, you need to be doing this or that. It's really not that big of an issue. And I think because people think it's that big of an issue, that's why we're seeing all of these over exfoliation tips that can be so damaging, so damaging for your skin. Okay, the next myth is that your body can handle harsher or different skincare than your face and neck. In some ways, yes, that may be true, because the skin on your body does tend to be a little bit less sensitive than the skin on your face, neck, and chest, which is overly just a little bit more thin, it's thinner, it's more exposed.
[00:14:36.350] - Jeanne
But it depends because your skin is still your skin, and you still need to be looking at it the same way and caring for it the same way. You still need to be protecting it from pigmentation. You still need to be protecting it from free radicals. You still should not be over exfoliating. So for me personally, I would never use a scrub brush or a body scrub, like a physical body scrub, because my body skin just is also sensitive. It is definitely less sensitive than my facial, neck and chest skin, but it's still sensitive. And I still have reactions to many products and many skincare trends like dry brushing and things like that. I just would never do that. I'm in just such a world of pain like the next level of hell. When I do that. My skin is burning and red, and I'm itching, it feels like I'm going crazy. So I would definitely say that your body needs exactly the same love and care and tenderness that you would give your face. Maybe you're able to play around a little bit more with the type of ingredients you can use on your body.
[00:15:46.500] - Jeanne
But yeah, do not go to town on your body skin thinking that. Only exception I would make is probably if you have a lot of issues with your feet, really tough, hard skin on your feet, cracked heels, things like that, then that's an entirely different pool game. We cleanse our skin because we need to free or clean it or clear it from bacteria. I don't think necessarily that this is all untrue myth. I think it's more a case of it being lost in translation and kind of being miscommunicated, because obviously there are some nasties in our skin that we do need to get rid of and deep set oily pollutants and grime and stuff that we don't want on our skin. But we do have to remember that our skin is like our guts, and it is filled with good balance of good and bad bacteria. So we cannot think to cleanse our skin from all bacteria because that's not good. That's the skin microbiome. And we will be upsetting that microbiome, just like you would be upsetting, say, for example, you have a bad case of gastro or food poisoning or something, then the balance of bacteria, good and bad bacteria in your gut is upset, and that's why you have diarrhea or you're vomiting or you have cramps or bloating.
[00:17:14.500] - Jeanne
It's the same with your skin. If you upset the good and the bad bacteria, bad things will happen. We need to maintain that kind of balance. So you're definitely not cleansing to clear your skin of all bacteria. And I think that's where a lot of over cleansing comes in. I absolutely believe in a double cleanse. I have so many information about double cleansing on the blogs and here on the podcast. I have an entire episode dedicated to double cleansing, but constantly this constant cleansing nation where you're cleansing the morning, cleansing at night, using harsh cleansers, foam cleansers, physical exfoliants, which I don't really think are a thing anymore, but definitely chemical exfoliants. We don't need to be scrubbing our skins bare like that at all, because then we're just removing all of the goodness as well. So I think it's more a thing of remembering that there's a balance, that we have good and bad bacteria, that it's a yin and a yang and it needs to be imbalanced. And that message has just gotten lost in translation a little bit in the beauty conversation. We do not need to be cleansing our skin to rid it of all bacteria.
[00:18:26.450] - Jeanne
Okay, the last myth is that sleep does not affect your skin. Personally, I think that we are in such a self care awareness state at the moment, this one has kind of answered itself. But of course, sleep affects your skin. I mean, gosh, have you ever woken up the next day and looked at yourself in the mirror, the bags under your eyes, the dehydration lines around your mouth, your nose, your eyes, your forehead? It absolutely affects your skin to the worst possible degree, and it's something that you really need to be aware of. Good sleep really does translate to good skin. And that was the last myth. If there are any more myths that you want me to speak to or that you want me to answer, then please make sure to drop a comment on Figgilife.com or reach out to me at jeanne_figgilife on Instagram. I'd be happy, happy, happy to chat with you. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of my Figgi Life. And remember, everyone deserves to celebrate the goddess within.