As the Summer approaches its end, your skin is most probably in need of special care. As the weather cools down, your skin can become drier and more prone to flakiness. In some cases, hyperpigmentation becomes more obvious with discolouration and uneven skin tone. To please your skin and give it a beautiful makeover, you should start with Autumn exfoliation.

Exfoliation not only removes dead skin cells, unclogs and minimizes pores, smoothens the surface of the skin, removes discolouration and evens skin tone, but it also prepares it for optimal absorption of moisturizing and anti-ageing treatments.

Reasons to exfoliate more often in Autumn

The Summer sun may have left its mark on your skin, and a gentle exfoliation regimen may help.

1. UV light decreases the skin’s natural desquamation process, so you might be ending the season with a little more dead skin built up that is ideal.
2. Summer also brings hot and humid weather and an increase in sebum production. Between the sweat, dead skin and the oil, you might find your skin is a little more congested than usual.
3. The Sun had increased opportunities for free radical damage that accelerates ageing, and your skin needs a bit of extra help to fade hyperpigmentation and recover its glow.
4. After the summer, the residue from all that sunscreen acts as a barrier, preventing skincare products from penetrating the skin.

Extra tips from dermatologists for Autumn

• Use serums
• Don’t forget to apply a sunscreen
• Use products that reduce the look of dark spots

Switch from lotion to cream when moisturising.

Décaar has the most advanced treatment for exfoliation

Décaar uses the benefits of Algae uniqueness in its Peeling Regime. It is safe to use on any skin type and efficient due to the combination of natural ingredients that deliver oxygen and stimulate the production of collagen.  

Décaar offers the ultimate deep cleansing for skin exhibiting pore congestion and toxic build-up. A blend of precious minerals, Kaolin, Aloe Vera and Glycerin work together to draw out impurities and refine pores in our Cleansers and Exfoliators. Here is how some of the minerals used in Décaar products work.

Kaolin

There is white and pink Kaolin clay in nature. White Kaolin clay cleanses, tones, removes impurities and exfoliates. Pink Kaolin clay calms and balances stressed skin while helping to firm, tone, maintain hydration and refine skin complexion. Find this powerful ingredient, together with Aloe Vera in Décaar’s Natural Exfoliating Scrub.

Décaar’s Calming Mask from our Oily and Combination series also contains Kaolin.

Sodium hyaluronate

Is a mineral salt that derives from hyaluronic acid, a main component of the connective tissues in our body. It attracts and holds vast amounts of moisture in the skin. Décaar’s Cleansing Milk contains this powerful mineral. It also promotes skin/blood microcirculation and nutrient absorption, and helps maintain normal metabolism.

Décaar’s Brightening Mask also contains Sodium Hyaluronate to help whitening skin with uneven colour. It alleviates irritation and redness.

Décaar’s Elixir Serum contains Hyaluronic Acid, a key ingredient in moisturising and protecting the skin against water loss.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is one of acne’s biggest enemies. It encourages exfoliation and unclogging of pores, and helps dissolve blackheads. Salicylic acid reduces sebum secretion, which is another way it can help reduce acne. Finally, it’s also anti-inflammatory, which can help calm inflamed skin due to acne. Find this ingredient in Décaar’s Phyto Lotion.

It is important to maintain a balanced pH in your skin because it can either heal or cause distress to your skin.

Your skin is naturally designed to fight infection and environmental stress. Its ability to do so is affected by the pH level. This pH level refers to how acidic or alkaline the skin is. On a scale of 1-14, 7 is considered a neutral reading for your skin’s pH, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 the most alkaline.

Your skin has a thin layer on its surface, known as the acid mantle. This mantle is made up of sebum excreted from the skin’s sebaceous glands. It mixes with lactic acid and amino acids from sweat to create the skin’s pH, which ideally should be at about 5.5, which is slightly acidic.

Factors that affect pH balance

Many factors can interfere with the balance of the skin’s acid mantle, both externally and internally. As we age, our skin becomes more acidic in response to our lifestyle and our environment. Everything that comes in contact with the skin (products, smoke, air, water, sun, pollution) can contribute to breaking down the acid mantle, disrupting the skin’s ability to protect itself.

If your pH level is too alkaline or too acidic, the mantle is disturbed and skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and rosacea may result.

Cleansers like bars and soaps tend to be too alkaline for the skin and they strip away natural oils. This causes dryness and irritation. Skin that is too alkaline can be susceptible to acne because acidity is needed to inhibit bacterial growth on the skin.

Also, skin treated with products that are overly acidic also can be problematic. They too over-strip natural oils that can disrupt the lipid barrier of the skin.

How to achieve a balanced skin pH

Use products that are pH balanced. Décaar’s pH balancing lotion supports and restores the skin’s natural defences. It contains Arnica montana and horse chestnut, a couple of plant extracts that make the skin more resilient.

There is a gel for every step of your skincare routine. From cleansing to moisturising, gels seem to be taking over other product forms like creams and lotions to cover your skin needs.

Gel cleansers

Gels are efficient and mild when it comes to skin cleansing. They do not produce foam, which means there is no SBS in them. SBS stands for Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, a substance that tends to cause irritation. Gels cleanse your skin without leaving it feeling stripped. Generally, they are recommended for those with combination or oily skin, but this is all relative depending on how your skin reacts to different formulations.

Gel moisturisers

Gel moisturisers contain fewer emollients and oils than those that are cream-based. They are lightweight in texture and easily absorbed into the skin. They are the perfect alternative if you find creams too strong for your liking — too rich, too heavy, too creamy.

Gel moisturisers are compatible with a variety of skin types but typically their absence of oil makes them extremely compatible with oily and combination skin. This is because they do not add any extra oil to the skin. Instead, they hydrate and moisturize the skin without leaving a film or residue which is especially important in oilier skin types that are prone to shine. Many gel moisturizers are formulated with hyaluronic acid which can deeply hydrate skin.

At Décaar we follow the gel trend

Décaar’s purifying cleansing gel is a gentle cleanser recommended for oily skin. It cleans greasy, irritated skin with clogged pores or signs of acne and it removes dirt, pollution and makeup. Leaves the skin feeling fresh, soft and comfortable.

One of our moisturising gels is the oxygen gel. It’s an energising recovery gel that keeps the skin looking and feeling hydrated.

You can avoid premature skin ageing by controlling the activity of free radicals, using antioxidants. Free radicals are produced by UV rays or when your body breaks down food. Antioxidants are included in cosmeceuticals to limit the production of free radicals that destroy the collagen in the skin cells.  

There are other roles of antioxidants on the skin and these include:

1. Skin firming
2. Anti-inflammatory
3. Reduce the appearance of scar tissue
4. More youthful skin appearance
5. Repair sun damage
6. Clearing pore congestion

Cosmeceuticals and antioxidants

Natural antioxidants are substances like Green Tea, vitamins A, C and E, Lycopene and Resveratrol. Even though many cosmetics claim to contain these substances, it is important to know the quantity and the stability of the specific compound they include. Also, it is important that the antioxidant reaches the deep layers of the skin so the production of collagen can continue. This is one of the advantages of using Cosmeceuticals for your skin care.

Oxidation and Oxygenation are two different things

Even though Oxygen is involved in both these processes, oxidation implies tissue decay and oxygenation ensures tissue revival. Antioxidants protect from the harmful effect of free radicals from oxidation that can destroy collagen. Oxygenation, on the other hand, is essential for the health of the cells, the normal blood circulation and the formation of proteins that maintain the elasticity of the skin.

Antioxidants in Décaar products

These are some of the products that you can find on our site that contain some of the antioxidant substances we have mentioned above.

Oxygen Line

Oxygen Gel, Oxygen Serum, Oxygen Hydro 24hr and Energizing Eye Cream

Oily and Combination Skin Line

Calming mask and Rebalancing Cream 24hr

Brightening Line

Brightening Cream 24hr and Brightening Cream SPF50

Age Reverse Line

Elixir Serum, Youth Elixir Day Cream and Youth Elixir Night Rich Nourishing

Every skincare routine must include a moisturising step after cleansing. Daily moisturising is vital for healthy skin. You need to use the most suitable cream or lotion depending on your skin type. This will benefit you over the long haul as moisturised skin cells can rapidly repair themselves and turnover fresh cells. The massaging effect that is used when applying the moisturiser is also beneficial because it helps stimulate blood circulation and generation of new cells.

Never skip this repairing step

Some of the reasons why you should never skip the moisturiser

1. The skin of your face sheds cells more rapidly than other parts of the body so it needs moisture to repair itself by allowing younger skin cells to rise to the surface.
2. A hydrated skin does not age as rapidly because it does not suffer from the low-grade chronic inflammation that occurs in dry skin. Low levels of ongoing inflammation can break down collagen and accelerate ageing.
3. Moisturisers with hyaluronic acid will plump up your skin, making your current wrinkles or lines less prominent. Décaar’s Elixir Serum is one of the products that contains hyaluronic acid in our Age Reverse line. 
4. Dehydrated skin stripped of its natural protective lipids can become red and flaky because irritants can enter more easily.
5. Dryness can aggravate your acne even if it sounds counterintuitive. Moisturiser really is your friend if you have blemishes. Use an oil-free moisturizer along with your acne regimen. Check our Décaar’s Oily and Combination Skin series for options.
6. Moisturising makes your makeup look flawless. Allow your moisturiser to properly absorb before applying foundation or concealer.

Men need moisturising too

It often takes very little to make a big improvement on men’s skin. You can keep your regimen as simple as possible and moisturising after cleansing should be part of it. Knowing what kind of skin you have is the first step in determining what products to use and Décaar offers a range for men too.