Talking to your skin- interview Holistik

Holistik interviewed Silke from Team Indigo about Talking to Your Skin:

• What does talking to your skin mean to you? 

What people sometimes forget is that your skin is a living organ, with varying needs every day. She also makes that clear to you. But most people just apply the same thing, sometimes for years, with every season, and every hormonal carnival your skin has to deal with. For me it means: really meeting the needs that my skin indicates at that moment, taking into account its preferences and sensitivities and thus ensuring that it looks its best, but also does its job optimally, and that is: protecting me. A very beautiful relationship it is actually, which is worth investing in.

• How do you learn to listen to what your skin has to tell you? 

Listening in this case is done with your eyes, fingers and brain-not with your ears!

The most important thing is to get off autopilot, and no longer apply things thoughtlessly because a friend recommends it, it looked nice in the advertisement, because of the promises written on the bottle. You know exactly when your skin is at its best: smooth, radiant, healthy, not dry, red, tight or with a break out. What everyone should avoid is mineral oils, synthetic fragrances and dyes, and parabens. No skin benefits from those. But then it starts; then you have to fine tune and see what YOUR skin needs, or reacts negatively to, and that can sometimes be very fine, good ingredients in the basis. Or something you eat, or don't eat! Now you see for example a lot of sallow skin by lack of vitamin D. Many women suffer from this without knowing it themselves.

For example, if your skin feels dry and tight, it needs moisture and lipids... I'm a big proponent of a hydrating oil treatment, such as emerginC's hydra repair capsules with avocado oil (which both protects and helps the skin retain its moisture) and a balancing cream such as emerginC's hyper vitalizer. In any case, stay away from too many acids, sulfates and wrong alcohols (such as alcohol denat).Also break outs can be the result of fat and moisture deficiency, and acne skin actually needs moisture very badly instead of the extra drying you often see. That's when we recommend the Active Hydrating Complex, which also contains a vitamin B complex and malic acid that regulates sebum.

• What are the main signals your skin gives off that it wants to be heard?

Very simply; anything that is not pretty! Redness, tightness, flaking, pigmentation pimples, dryness spots, contact allergies, itching, wrinkles, acne, sallow skin. All of these things require you to take action. Your other non-visible organs will thank you too, by the way; your skin talks for them too!

Some of these phenomena just mentioned are inevitable as we age, but many are preventable with proper care... and especially protection. Sunlight, pollution, food, aggressive products, chemical ingredients all work oxidatively and attack the skin. With acne, it is important to keep looking. Through conventional medicine you are often offered a solution (antibiotics, the pill, or roaccutane) that greatly dehydrates the skin and causes multiple problems such as pigmentation, dry skin, flaking or hypersensitivity. Instead, make sure you hydrate, nourish, and protect your skin rather than further dehydrate it.

• What remedies would you recommend? Maybe you know one that you can apply acutely and one that is more holistic for the longer term. 

If something doesn't work; stop. Even if it was an expensive cream; go back with it, report it to your point of sale or beautician. Make a neighbor happy with it. But stop. I think your skin is SO important; when it is beautiful you are beautiful. So I really recommend buying your cream on good advice. At the bigger chains, too often there is an incentive for the salesperson to sell certain brands that month, and you don't always get what is right for you.

But ultimately, you must become the true expert on your skin; no one can better determine how it is doing and what is working than you.

With everything, I recommend getting the balance back first, then the problem you're dealing with. If the moisture-fat balance and ph is right, you will find that many problems simply go away. The problems that don't go away (like pigmentation and wrinkles) will be much more treatable if your skin is in optimal condition.

Essential for basically everyone (except rosacea and super-sensitive skin, which must first strengthen)is a good vitamin c serum: it strengthens your connective tissue, brightens, fights pigmentation, improves circulation, reduces scars, kills acne-causing bacteria, and also promotes collagen production.

Everyone should have this in their beauty regime. Make sure that your cream contains magnesium ascorbyl phosphate , and not just ascorbyl acid; this is a common cheap form of vitamin c and is poorly absorbed by the skin. Also, make sure it's properly packaged; oxidized vitamin c is actually harmful to the skin. This is why I love our emerginC vitamin C serum; the active ingredient encapsulation spheres provide a super fresh, high dose of ascorbyl phosphate with each use. For real problems like acne and eczema, I also always recommend bringing in a nutritionist like Sophia van Sorgen or Kyrin Hall; sometimes reducing sugar, or wheat for example, can have a dramatic effect. But again, I believe in customization; what works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for you. You are unique, with unique needs! Take the trouble and have a consultation, it can often be done by phone and is covered by many insurances.

Further, I recommend:

- enough sleep! Not sleeping makes you ugly. That's just the way it is. Catch up where you can, take a nap. But your skin recovers when you sleep.

-Be moderate with alcohol; new research shows that the effect of a night of sagging on your skin is gone only after a month.

Looking at skincare: do you have any advice on how to determine if a cream or serum really suits your skin?

first REALLY look. At yourself! Enjoy! Enjoy that head that tells you all sorts of things every morning. Often we focus on a component such as pigmentation, pimples or wrinkles that is very eye-catching and buy products to combat that. FAR more important is to look at the basic condition of your skin and treat that first. Creating calm, balance, a good foundation.

The emerginC hyper vitalizer cream is ideal cream to achieve this; I usually recommend it as a startup cream. Furthermore; never choose for aggressive. Fast results maybe, but you ALWAYS pay the price, sooner or later.

Then, if you have chosen; keep watching, your skin may well react for a while, especially if you suddenly start using an active product, but this should not last too long. Your skin is also talking to you here. You need to see improvement. Take pictures. A good cream often works gradually and the effect is not always obvious to yourself, because you look in the mirror several times a day. This can tempt you to use overly aggressive remedies, when in fact you were well on your way.

After your skin is in balance, you may need different creams; for example, if you cycle a lot, choose a cream with more protection during the day; but more hydration if you are in the office. Make sure you can respond to needs. It doesn't cost more; it lasts longer.

• How often is it necessary to engage with your skin?
• At least every time you put on something. But if you learn to feel what you feel and not to close yourself off to it, you will be in constant dialogue with your skin all day long. Temperature fluctuations, a lot of time outside in cold wind or sun, that time of the month, a dirty make-up that starts to itch.... Angry, happy... Your skin thinks it's all there and tells you so: listen to it! One day more fat, more moisture, a mask where necessary. Alternate in terms of diet and creams according to what your skin tells you is necessary. Do not think too much in skin type, but skin condition, so.
• What are the most important lessons you learned from your skin?

Be kind! And patient. Don't go on the attack, but rather engage with your skin. Believe your instincts and your own wisdom. Nietzsche says that there is more wisdom in our bodies, than in our deepest philosophies. And so it is!