5 hot takes as an esthetician

 hey pretty girls ♡

i have a love-hate relationship with the fact that skincare is trendy. i love that everyone is interested, but this allows influencers to just say whatever online, and they are notttt qualified to give skincare advise..

here's me addressing some buzzwords i've seen on social media.

DISCLAIMER!!! if you do any of these and it works for you, COOL! you do you bestie! as long as you're not hurting your skin, idc! love ya!

1.) beef tallow

soooo i did a deep-ish dive on beef tallow because i got in an argument with someone over it (LOL). lemme explain what it is, what's good about it, and why i would never recommend it to a client personally.

what even is beef tallow? it's rendered beef fat. it's used primarily for cooking, and it's created by slowly melting down fatty tissue from a cow. 

why are people putting it on their skin? so beef tallow is super moisturizing, it's super rich in multiple vitamins, which have different benefits for the skin. people with dry skin love it because it's fixing their lack of oil issue, and it also locks in moisture. i don't mind if people use it on their bodies if they're mega dry. people with eczema and psoriasis love it because it helps with flareups, but that's because it's rich in vitamin D and those conditions are linked to vitamin d deficiency.

why aren't you a big fan of it? so i don't like it for 99% of people because the benefits you do get from it can be achieved through products actually formulated for the face. do NOT use this if you're oily. if you didn't know, fat is OILY and you have plenty of oil! while there is no universal "pore clogger scale", this product has been known to clog pores. you need a certain level of oleic acid and linoleic acid on your skin, and this can throw those off, causing breakouts and of course... oil clogging pores. this acid imbalance can cause irritation for some people. 

there's also NOT A LOT OF STRONG SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE overall! the benefits you do get from it can be achieved without the other side effects. 

how do you feel about people using it? it's definitely not the worst thing in the world! just know if you get a facial and they use steam... you're gonna smell like burgers and onions lmaooooooooooooo

2.) a shorter skincare routine is better 99.9999% of the time

i know, ironic coming from me. i find that people who use 20 different products daily have more skin issues than someone who uses 5 products. this isn't meaning facials, but the skincare clients use at home daily. half the shit these influencers tell you to buy is USELESS and making your irritation, acne, etc worse. 

here's a basic routine:

cleansing / double cleansing - cleanse twice at night to wash off makeup and spf

exfoliating - use a choice of exfoliant 1-3x weekly at night depending on your skin type

serum - depending on your skin type/concern, use as frequently as needed

moisturizer - every skin type needs a moisturizer! 

spf - use during the day year round

3.) these toners are not necessary 99% of the time

this 100% depends on the product and is not a blanket statement. some toners that are exfoliating can be great, and some can add extra hydration. if your skin needs that and a toner is an easy way for you to get that, great! just don't spend a ton on them in my opinion.

4.) salicylic acid is not the ultimate acne solution

this acid cuts through oil, which is typically the issue. but what if you're dry and acne-prone? acne doesn't have a one-size-fits-all solution. there's a reason there's different types of acids out there. i can explain them in a different post.

5.) stop listening to influencers.

these people don't have esthetics licenses, or cosmetic chemist degrees and they're just out here deciding to make skincare. while they do work with cosmetic chemists to develop these products, they end up being very basic products and you're overpaying for them. influencers are also "swearing by xyz" for their skin and it's often doing absolutely nothing for you lol. or worst case scenario, it's harmful for your skin. let's stick to listening to estheticians and cosmetic chemists.

now, to address the elephant in the room. estheticians are in fact, trying to promote their services. this means they can in fact, lie. i keep my blog no BS, so i will leave some @s of people I LOVE. 

@theegeminiglow <-- esthetician

@strongerskinbyemma_ <-- esthetician

@jc.dombrowski <-- cosmetic chemist

If you've read this far, thank you so much!! I would love any polite discourse on this post or any questions, or post ideas! 

Love you~

xoxo,

cherry