A Facial is not just about your face

When I talk with people about good face care, I always make certain to include the neck and the décolleté. Why?

Have you ever noticed someone who has had work on their face. You know that kind of “work” I am talking about. But even with what may look like tight firm skin free of wrinkles or the blemishes, you notice something odd. Perhaps their chin line is fine but look a little further down and you start to notice the mismatch. The neck or upper chest area looks older than their face would have you believe.

When you take in the view of the face, you also take in the view of the neck and the upper chest area, also referred to as the décolleté. Some people forget to apply the same care to these areas as they do for their face. The result makes for a very odd inconsistent look.  It is more evident with women, since clothes are designed to accentuate a lower neck line. It is even more evident with the spring and summer clothes. However, it is just as important for men to pay attention to this area when applying facial care products.

Remember to care for the entire face, neck and décolleté area at the same time. You should be able to apply the same treatment products to the entire area. Proper care of the skin in this area is really not that much different than the rest of your body. Clean, exfoliate, moisturize and repeat. It’s simple really.  The only difference is in the type of products we may choose to use. For example, skin that is exposed to the elements more than others, may need extra attention. And skin that shows the effects of time almost always gets extra attention for everyone. Whether you want it to or not.

Clean: You don’t need to strip your skin to clean it. The purpose is to remove surface dirt. For that a good quality soap should do the trick. I usually recommend the Naked Soap from Très Spa for my customers. It is made with our signature blend of organic oils and has honey, organic buttermilk, and organic oatmeal for added benefits. It is an old fashioned country kind of soap and feels amazing on the skin. If you are wearing makeup that cannot be removed with good soap and warm water, you might want to rethink your cosmetic choices!

Exfoliate: OK so after you have cleaned the surface dirt, you will want to clear the skin at a deeper level. Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells and open up the pores of the skin. There are several options to exfoliate. At Très Spa we have four options to choose from and you can mix and match to suit your needs. 

1. Choose any one of our soaps that have a mild exfoliate such as Naked, Renew, Sanctuary, Awaken, Enlighten, Lemon Ginger Snap. I would avoid the exfoliates that are seeds or tapioca pearls as they can be a bit more abrasive.
2. Use a body scrub. I occasionally will use the Old Fashioned Country Scrub. You may also use the Sweet Stuff Sugar Polish. I would avoid exfoliates that are more abrasive like the Mocha Latte or the Tethy’s Sea scrub. Salts and Arabica beans may be excellent at buffing the skin, but the skin on your face, neck, and décolleté require a softer touch.
3. You can use the Cleansing Grains as a scrub. Mix the grains with your own choice of wetting agents to change the aspects of your facial care. They are fun to play with and only limited by your imagination.
4.  For an everyday cleansing, I like to use a Très Spa soap wrapped in one of the Body Buffers that are hand made by Très Spa. They are 100% Hemp fiber and very eco-friendly. Because of the fiber we use in creating the buffers, they offer just the right amount of scrubbing action without being to abrasive.

Moisturize: Boy you have allot of choices here and there are some products out on the market making incredible claims for anti-aging and solving all kinds of issues. You can read my Blog on How to pick a good moisturizer for tips and advice on what to look for. There are a vast array of choices and they all fall into a couple of basic categories: Lotion, Cream, and Oil. 

For times you feel you need a thicker moisturizer, use a cream. For a lighter and preservative free solution, I recommend a face oil. Falling right in the middle of these two is the moisturizers that fall into the lotion category. Très Spa offers Defiance as our crown jewel in face creams, a selection of organic face oils for an array of skin needs: Meadow – high in anti-oxidants, Balance- to help the skin balance oil production, and Sahara – an oasis for dry skin. If you wish to use one of our lotions, then I recommend the synergy scent blend Sanctuary and Romance. Men may prefer the synergy blend Renew with its forest notes.

There are also times you may want to add a toner and face masks to your routine, but for an everyday routine you can keep it simple.  No matter what routine you choose to adopt to care for your face, just remember to include the other bits too.