Beauty: An Intro to Peels

With the stress of work and lack of hydration from traveling, my skin definitely was showing signs of congestion, dullness, and dehydration. I was lucky enough that while visiting my best friend Sergio in LA, he gave me the best facial using a Glycolic Peel on my skin. Admittedly, I used to be scared that a peel meant that it was going to burn and peel my skin off. This is a myth and needs to be debunked. Think of peels as another form of an exfoliator that is chemical based and is not physical much like St. Ive's Apricot Scrub (you know you have all used this at some point...don't be ashamed). 

So what exactly does a peel do? It safely exfoliates your skin, removing any dull and dead skin, helping cells to turnover so that new and younger cells can be revealed -- and isn't that what all women crave? Younger looking skin? At least I do! Peels are also great because they help to treat breakouts and it smooth out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

If you are new to the peel game and have not used peels before, I recommend easing your skin into it by using peels that are safe enough to use on a daily basis and for you new booties...here is what I recommend:

Dr. Gross Alpha Beta Peel Original Formula :
Price:  $16-$88
This is one of my longstanding favorite peels that I like to keep in my wardrobe of skincare products. It's a little pricey, but well worth it and if you are trying it out for the first time, they have a trial size of 5 treatments for $16 so give it a try!

Step One Pad Ingredients:

• Glycolic Acid: Helps to reduce signs of aging and acts as an exfoliant -- safely removing from the outer layers of dead skin. 
• Willow Bark Extract: Helps to clear pores and acts as an astringent and helps to soothe the skin - also great for acne prone skin. 

Step Two Pad Ingredients:

• Retinol: Helps to reverse signs of aging and also helps to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.

For those of you that are peel professionals and love that burning sensation of a good AHA or BHA because for some reason you feel like it's working, here are my favorite:

Ole Henriksen Power Peel: 
Price: $16-45

I like this peel from Ole Henriksen because all of the ingredients are natural. 

This is a three step system that consists of the following:

Step One - Almond Polish:

• Retextures the skin and preps the skin for the lemon Strip Peel. 
• Active Ingredients: Almond Extract, Oat Kernel Flour, Bamboo Stem Powder, Honey, and Orange Peel.

Step Two - Lemon Strip:

• Further helps to exfoliate the skin and also helps to refine any fine lines or signs of aging. 
• Active Ingredeints: Lactic, Glycolic and Fruit Acids, and Licorice and Algae Extract.

Step Three - Chamomile Comfort:

• Helps to soothe and Calm the skin. 
• Active IngredientsChamomile, Evening Primrose Oil, and Jojoba Seed Oil.

Last but not least, with any peel, make sure that right after you use a good night time moisturizer and that the next day you wear a sunscreen even if you plan to stay indoors. Your skin will be a little more sensitive than usual to sunlight so ensure that you have a good SPF to wear during the day.