Time to tighten up your beauty regimen
In many ways, fall is really its own kind of New Year. It marks the start of a new school year, of homecomings after summers away on vacation, and for some, a new, more strategic grooming routine. (Who hasn’t been just a little bit laissez-faire in the warmer months? They don’t call it “beachy waves” for nothing.)
So after a summer full of sun, salt, chlorine, hard water in the shower and ponytails, it’s time to tighten up your beauty regimen and to kick it all off by undoing the damage done to your hair, face, and body. Here are three things you can easily do for your hair, face, and skin to start anew.
No. 1. Reverse the hair curse. “Everybody’s coming in with hair that’s damaged, oxidized and overprocessed,” said Master Stylist Karen Gessin about the Metal Detox PreTreatment offered at my Grettacole salons in Boston and Wellesley. “It’s a fall cleanup. And is the easiest process with the most results ever.”
Especially if you have local water that’s hard, it can leave behind chemicals in a film on the hair — and that changes your hair color and texture, and leads to thinning and breakage. In their treatment, Gessin and her team employ L’Oreal’s patented molecule called Glicoamine to get inside the fibers of the hair and remove all of the metal build-up.
“We spray it on, and then put new color right over it, and then shampoo and conditioner,” Gessin said. “It’s so so fast, and it adds almost no time. It’s just $20 as an addon, and though it’s amazing for blondes, I’m finding it’s good for any color, including brunettes. If you do only one treatment this fall, make it this. It’s a game changer.”
No. 2. Face the music. Even if you’re extremely good about using SPF all day, every morning, all summer long, the sun’s stronger rays are still going to have an effect on your face if you aren’t staying in the shade the entire time. So let’s say you didn’t (because most of us don’t). What you need now is a powerful exfoliant that’s also still going to be kind to your skin. For that I love Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate duo—a Cleanser Daily Foaming Wash and an Intensive Exfoliating Treatment ($88 for both at sephora.com). Use the light and creamy wash every morning and the Exfoliating Treatment every few days.
Both of the cruelty-free products are free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and sulfates, and contain less than 1% synthetic fragrance. Instead, they rely on glycolic and lactic acids; enzymes from papaya, pineapple and pumpkin; and silica to physically exfoliate dead skin cells. You’ll leave your bathroom with smoother, more radiant skin than you’ve seen in months.
No. 3. Soothe and smooth. We all have our favorite body creams, and I’m not going to take you away from yours here. (Especially as the weather is starting to get colder, and you’ll need a rich lotion to keep your entire bod supple and smooth this winter. But before the season completely changes, order up a tub of DERMAdoctor KP Duty Body Scrub ($50 on amazon.com). It’s good — and tough — stuff, filled with physical and chemical exfoliators like glycolic and lactic acids, to slough off any buildup of dead skin cells. The result will be brighter, smoother, soothed skin. Just be sure to only use it once a week so you don’t exfoliate too much, and make sure to follow it up with that that favorite lotion — the better to glow on and shine all the way into the holiday season.