Salon Skincare Systems

In the past, toners were classified as a second stage of cleansing. Since early cleansers contained a lot of mineral oil, the toner was made with alcohol to remove any residue of oil left by the cleanser. Unfortunately, the alcohol in the toner also acted to dry out the skin.

Now, however, cleansers are mostly water soluble, so toners can be made generally alcohol free. As a result, the drying effect that used to be caused by the old toners is no longer a problem. A toner is basically used to refresh the skin, not to strip it of its natural oils. By using a non-astringent toner, the natural acidity of the skin is restored. Equally important is the fact that by dampening the skin, toners even out the absorption of moisturizers.

Eye and throat creams are referred to as specialty products. There are no oil glands in the eye and throat areas, and everyone knows skin needs some oils to stay youthful looking, and usually, these areas are the first to show aging. Therefore, eye and throat creams are excellent products to use at any age.

Moisturizers do just what their name implies, they add moisture to the skin to keep it soft and supple. Moisturizers should be applied to the skin when it is still damp from the toner. Putting a moisturizer on dry skin is of little use because it is not very easily absorbed. It would be like putting a hair conditioner on dry hair; you wouldn’t get an even absorption across the shaft of the hair.

Moisturizers are absorbed into the upper layers of the outer skin (the epidermis). They cannot penetrate into the dermis or muscle. Even if a manufacturer claimed a product could penetrate that deeply, it would be useless because the purpose of a moisturizer is to protect the lower layers of the skin by forming a seal on the upper layers. In addition, the FDA considers any product that penetrates far enough to get into the bloodstream to be a drug, and it is regulated as such.

Moisturizers also should contain a sunscreen. Minimizing the effects of uncontrolled exposure to UV rays should be a major concern to clients. Such products should be reapplied at least every six hours.

Sunscreens always should be applied to the skin before going outdoors. They filter out harmful UV rays so the skin does not have to absorb them. Sunscreens also lubricate the skin.