AskBronny Blog

Ok so now we're clean. Super clean, down past makeup and daily dirt. Remember, even if you don't wear makeup, your skin is like a sieve. It catches dirt, dust, sweat, pollution, the dirt on your hands when you touch your face or push your hair back… all the environmental factors that hit your face every day. So we still need to clean.

Now it's time for water.

Part one: exfoliate: only once a week. I will go into this next time.

Part two: water: every day.

Water. The essence of life. Our skin needs water and as we know, the best way to add water is to drink it. 8 litres a day, to be sure. I can never manage to achieve this. But I can water my skin.

So. After cleansing (see previous post) we are instructed, through years of programming, to tone.

Do not tone.

Do not use a "toner". Toner is an astringent that contains a lot of alcohol that is designed to make you feel invigorated, fresh and clean. It does this by stripping your skin and making it feel "squeaky" clean. Smell it. Smells like a stiff drink? Sour and harsh? You're going to put that on your face? No. You know what makes skin (and hair) squeak? Lack of moisture. Like runners on a polished wood floor. Moisture is so important. Never strip it away. Toner is like a shot of vodka on your skin. Alcohol evaporates. Quickly. And it takes moisture with it (just like in our bodies after a heavy night of drinking - hence the dry terrors in the middle of the night). To counter alcohol we need water. So skip the alcoholic surge on your skin and instead, just feed it water. Or more precisely, water designed for topical absorption, ie from the surface down.

Far better than a toner is a face mist. A soothing, calming rosewater, camomile or lavender spray will balance your skin and soothe it after your thorough cleanse. It won't strip it. Remember in part one, I told you to pay attention when you get a facial? Do you recall having an alcholic astringent wiped across your face? No… they spray a fine mist from above and it floats down and lands gently on your face. Gently. The therapist doesn't even touch you. Replicate this.

The best thing you can do is make your own. This is one of my best tips.

Make your own facial spray.

I learned this when I looked in my cabinet and found dribs and drabs of not-quite-finished sprays, spritzers and tonics. I thought, what the hell, I like all of these products, let's mix them together. So I did. I've been making my own blends ever since.

So here's what you do. Start with an empty spray bottle. I use a Jurlique rosewater spray bottle cos it looks nice and I love Jurlique. Fill it 1/3 with rosewater. You can get it from most delis - especially Turkish or Greek places. You can also make your own by boiling down rose petals in a little water until they go transparent. Discard the petals and you have rosewater. It smells amazing - pure rose - natural essential oils, sweet and clear.

Then add 1/3 quality mineral water. I keep a bottle of San Pellegrino in the fridge for this purpose. One little bottle has been in my fridge for 6 months and it's still half full.

Then add any spray you have floating around. But first, smell it. Smells like a cocktail? Don't use it. Chuck it. Smells soft and natural? Go for it. Typically, brands like L'Oreal and Revlon are not good (those brands have their place, but not here). Natio, Nutrogena, Ponds, Redken… unfussy brands are good.

Look for essential oils in the ingredient list. If the ingredients mention oxy, benzo, propo, poly, ethyl, tetro, chloro, they're not good. These are derived from petrol and oil based chemicals that don't have common names that we understand. They are also cheap fillers. In small quantities they have their place, but they should not be at the top of the list.

Look for plant based ingredients - they will always have their common names in brackets afterwards, eg "Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower Seed) oil." Good words to spot are aqua, glycerin, sorbitol, lanolin, parrafin, lecithin, vitamin E.

So! Got some aloe vera growing somewhere? Use it. Rosehip oil? Lavender oil? Even a drop (just a drop) of Eucalyptus oil? Use it. Here's what I use:

• Rosewater 35%
• Mineral water 35%
• The other 30% :

• Rosehip oil (organic, mine is from Endota Spa)
• Emu Oil (see elsewhere on this site for info on this wonder product)
• L'Occitance Essential Water - left over from a travel pack I had and loved - softening, gentle, slightly oily spray (don't be scared of oil, see below)
• Dermalogica Soothing Protection Spray - as above
• L'Occitane Elixir - a few pumps from this specialist $100/bottle facial oil that lasts me a year
• Julique AHC lemon/lime - a few drops of this longstanding miracle product favourite of mine
• Juice of one long aloe vera leaf from my garden

Put it all in a bottle and give it a good shake. Spray liberally on damp skin (ie freshly cleansed and lightly patted to semi-dry - don't rub it - leave it damp) from about 30cm away. Wait a second, then gently press the surface of the skin. Imagine you're pressing the layer of spray from the surface into the deeper layers of your skin. It's called a Press and Release motion. Don't rub it - gently, caringly, press it in.

Cup your hands over your face and breathe in deeply. Do this again. Absorb these wonderful ingredients into your respiratory system; it will work well in conjunction with your actions on the surface.

A note on oil: if it's a quality product, the oil is good. If it's a cheap or too-perfumed oil, it's no good. Be aware of Mineral Oils in the ingredient list; they give you milia - those little white pimple-likespots around your eyes that you can't remove. Cut out mineral oil and they will go away. Baby Oil is the worst for this problem. Olive oil is great. Synthetic vs natural? Natural always wins.

Last but not least: rub the excess spray onto your hands. Spray some extra onto your palms and rub onto the backs of your hands. Hands are precious. Treat them well. More on that later.

Now your skin is not only clean, but smoothed, calmed, and watered. Now we're going to feed it… next post.

Until then… keep it clean