Skincare for Healthy, Clear Skin

What is Clear Skin?

I've often wondered what people mean when they say "I want to have clear skin".
Do I have clear skin?
She wants her skin to be clear?
The problem is I don't have clear skin!?

I've been thinking about the words 'clear skin' and have been trying to interpret what I think it means. My first reaction was to ask as many people as I know - family, friends, colleagues and even my kids - what they understand 'clear skin' to mean. My friend Jo told me, "I want my skin to be clear of spots". Jo has a long suffering breakout problem and she said it was a small miracle when she discovered Thea Skincare - she now uses the Thea Skincare Clarity Foaming Face Cleanser and Thea Skincare Clarity Creme Moisturiser and recently told me that she has not had one spot in three weeks!

I couldn't relate to this because I am lucky enough not to have this problem of regular spot breakouts, so I struggled at first to see why she was so excited about her spots being 'under control'! I do know now and I am delighted to see how happy she was with her new found, spot-free skin.

Another friend of mine had a different concern. Mary's idea of 'clear skin' would be to have skin which is not dry and flaky. Until recently, she had very dry skin and I have to admit also quite a few wrinkles. Mary wants 'clear skin', i.e. skin without any dry patches.

Ruby on the other hand wants 'clear skin' that holds back time - it has to be wrinkle free and not dull or sluggish. She wants skin that makes her look much younger. Ruby wants to have anti-ageing products with, as she puts it, "lots of those antioxidants which make you look younger". So, her idea of 'clear skin' is having less wrinkles, reduced age spots and blemish-free, vibrant skin.

Then there's me – what is my view of 'clear skin'? I want my skin to be blemish free at all times, in all weather conditions, wherever I am! I hate the thought of having a spot breakout. I want an even skin tone and silky smooth skin, not just on my face but also on my body, and to be honest, I really do not want to work too hard to achieve this either. I have a busy lifestyle, hence I have a regular skincare routine that is not complicated and does not involve many different steps. It is based on organic skincare products with natural ingredients which are always paraben free (see my recent blog post to find out why parabens are so dangerous for your health!)

Thea, founder of Thea Skincare

So, here's my simple morning routine:

• Put kettle on to boil water for my daily detox lemon and honey drink.
• Cleanse face using Thea Skincare Clarity Foaming Cleanser.
• Tone with a quick swipe of Thea Skincare Calming Facial Toner.
• Pat my skin dry and moisturise with one of my favourite products – Age Revival Uplifting Face Cream.
• Every other day, I exfoliate. I apply my favourite exfoliator Thea Skincare Dream Cream Face Exfoliator whilst I am in the shower, which lets the steam penetrate and deeply cleanser my pores, before washing if off with tepid water!

And here is my evening routine:

• I use either Thea Skincare Natural Harmony Cleanser, especially in the winter, or the Thea Skincare Detox Face Cleanser.
• Tone with the Calming Thea Skincare Facial Toner.
• Moisturise with Thea Skincare Softly, Sofly Day and Night Face Cream – it's amazingly moisturising and I wake up each morning with lovely soft skin!
• Finally, I apply the extraordinary Thea Skincare Rooibos Uplifting Eye Cream without fail every night.

And then there's my monthly treat:

• My Thea Skincare Fruit Enzyme Facial with a wonderful steam extraction mask, and a relaxing detox massage. Check out the Fruit Enzyme starter kit here.

That's it – and my skin gets better as I get older.

Best wishes
Thea _XX