Join our Back to School #skincarechallenge and become an Urban Skin Rx #GlowGetter!

Summer time is coming to a close, and what better way to kick off the school year than with a glowing complexion? Whether you are a student, teacher, or someone like me, where summer break is just a fond memory, it’s always a good time to get your skin right! Join us starting on August 13^th and follow these 14 tips for 14 days to see your skin start to transform! Enter to win an Urban Skin Rx gift card by posting a picture of you doing the challenge of the day. Tag @urbanskinrx and use hashtags #glowgetters and #skincarechallenge. One entry per day is allowed, and the more you post, the better your chances of winning!

1. Take off your Makeup Every Night! This should be a no brainer, but this is one of the simplest steps you can do to keep your skin glowing that most people neglect! Sleeping in makeup clogs your pores, can cause breakouts, leaves dirt and bacteria on your pillowcase, and even can cause your skin to age faster! Oh, and all you naturalistas out there that don’t wear makeup? You still have to wash your face too! Your skin is collecting dirt all day and needs to be cleansed every night. Invest in either a good makeup remover like micellar water or wash your face twice!
2. Wear sunscreen every day. If you watch our Instastories you know this is my passion in life. I want every person, man or woman, light or dark to be wearing sunscreen EVERY DAY.  If your budget is tight, and you can’t afford to invest in a full regimen at once, a good sunscreen is the next step.  It’s going to be your best anti-aging tool.  It helps prevent dark marks and hyperpigmentation and prevents them from getting darker.  And, most importantly, it can prevent skin cancer.  Now listen, if you are thinking to yourself, “I have dark skin so I don’t need to worry about skin cancer” I’m here to debunk that myth! While it is true that African Americans and Latinos are less likely to get skin cancer, once they have it they are MORE likely to pass away from it.  This is because it is usually caught in later stages in life.  So wear your sunscreen! At least an SPF 30. 😊
3. Mask 1-2 times a week. A mask is a great addition to add to your weekly skin care routine. It’s a wonderful way to deep clean the pores,  exfoliate on a deeper level so your products absorb better and accelerates what your skin care routine is trying achieve.  The Purifying Pumpkin Pore Mask is great for deep cleansing pores, clearing up and preventing acne, and mildly exfoliating the skin.
4. Meditate 10 Minutes Daily.  Ok, ok, I know what you’re thinking, what in the world does meditation have to do with your skin? Well, my friends let me tell you.  Stress is a contributing factor to acne. When you are dealing with stress your body produces hormones like cortisol and adrenalin and they wreak havoc on your skin.  Mediation forces you to be still,  be present and to focus on you in the best way possible.  New to mediation? Great! There’s a great, free app for guided meditation called Headspace.  Simple and short you can even do it at your desk!
5. Be Consistent with your skin care routine. The medspa’s estheticians biggest pet peeve is when they put a client on a regimen and the client comes back in a month upset that their skin isn’t better. The conversation goes something like this:

Esthetician: “ Have you been using the products like I told you every day?”

Client: “Well, I did for the first week, but I didn’t see a difference so I stopped and went back to what I was using before.”

You are not going to see results in a week! I mean, you might, and that’s awesome if you do, but it takes roughly 4-6 weeks to see real results with your skin.  Sometimes your skin can get a little worse before it gets better.  You have to use your products consistently, morning and night, to yield results.

6. Drink Half Your Body Weight in Water Every Day. It’s old news that water is essential to have glowing, clear skin, but did you know the standard of 64 oz of water a day is out dated and not really accurate? You should be drinking at least half your body weight in oz a day. For example: If you weigh 140 lbs you should be drinking 70 oz of water every day. At least.
7. Clean You Cell Phone Every Day. Basically our cell phones are petri dishes swarming with bacteria.  We touch them with our dirty little fingers 24/7 and then when we hold them up to our faces to talk we are transferring all that microscopic grossness to our skin which clogs pores and causes breakouts. Get some screen cleaning wipes and wipe your phone down every morning.
8. Clean Up Your Diet. For the next two weeks cut out sugar, dairy and fried food and just see what happens.  Sugar and dairy cause inflammation in the body, which can trigger hormonal acne. Fill your diet with fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, and limited complex carbs like sweet potatoes and whole grains.  I promise your skin will thank you!
9. Exfoliate! But don’t get carried away. When someone tells me they exfoliating scrub every day I cringe.  If you are using one of our cleansing bars you are getting natural exfoliation through the ingredients that are in the bar and by using a sponge.  If you use our pumpkin mask 1-2 times a week that’s a great way to weekly exfoliate! The Clear and Smooth pads and the Clarifying Gly/Sal pads all have exfoliating ingredients.  If any of these are a part of your skin care routine then you are getting the exfoliation that you need on a weekly basis.  If not, then you need to add it! Exfoliation is key to fighting hyperpigmentation, fading dark marks, anti-aging and unclogging pores.
10. Change Your Pillowcases Regularly. Pillowcases can be bacteria breeding grounds if you are not changing them frequently.  And if you aren’t washing your face every night, they’re probably even worse! Depending on the sensitivity of your skin and how often you break out you should be changing your pillowcase anywhere from every other day to once a week.  Don’t have an unending supply of pillowcases? Lay a clean towel over your pillow instead.
11. Exericise 1-3 x’s a Week. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress, and since stress is linked to acne, it can inadvertently help that too! Exercise also gets the blood flowing, whichcarries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin. In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working cells. Just remember, if you are exercising outside make sure to put on a non-clogging SPF, and if you already have skin issues like acne, rosacea or psoriasis, it’s best to exercise makeup free. If you are new to exercise start off small with a brisk 30 minute walk around your neighborhood or on a treadmill.  Your intensity level can vary, but you should have a sweat going!
12. Avoid Hot Showers. Ok – this one will be hard for me.  I LOVE hot showers.  The hotter the better.  I want my skin to be dangerously close to getting a 1^st degree burn.  But this is awful for your skin! First, it strips your skin of its natural oils.  Think of washing dishes; you use hot water to clean greasy pans, not cold.  That hot water is also removing all natural moisture from your skin leaving it dry, itchy, and can cause rashes.  If you already suffer from eczema hot showers are awful.  Hot showers can also aggravate acne and cause it to spread.  Take lukewarm showers and limit showers to 5-10 minutes.
13. Start Taking a Supplement. Good skin starts from within, and supplements are a great way to boost your skin’s health. They are a great addition to a good skin care regimen!  Do your research and purchase a supplement for your main skin concern. If evening your skin tone is your main concern then find a supplement with vitamin C and L-glutathione like our Even Tone Support Supplements.  If anti-aging is your focus find a supplement with natural collagen, and if your dealing with acne evening primrose oil can be a great supplement. 
14. Invest in a Corrective Serum. Ok ladies and gents, the last step for you to see major skin results is to purchase a corrective serum according to your needs.  We have clients who have had dark marks and hyperpigmentation that have been there for years and are upset that they don’t go away after only purchasing a cleansing bar.  I’m sorry, while the bar can definitely make a difference on its own, if you have been dealing with the same skin issues for years it’s time to invest in a serum.  Two star products that we offer are the Even Tone Night Treatment and the Super C Brightening Serum.  Both help with evening out skin tone.  Everyone can use the Super  C Serum, and if you suffer from hyperpigmentation and dark marks, the Even Tone Night Treatment is the serum for you!

So those are your 14 steps for the next 2 weeks! Commit to trying to do all 14 and we promise you will see a difference!

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