Bonjour Mes Amis!

I don’t know about you, but summer has always seemed synonymous with citrus to me. After all, what’s better than a cold lemonade to stave off the heat? The grocery stores and even home décor stores around SLO seem to concur—lately I see citrus everywhere.

 

In any case, I’m more than happy to satisfy my citrus craving—through both enjoying a cold lemonade and utilizing some of the many fabulous skincare products that incorporate citrus for its antioxidant benefits.

Why antioxidants? First of all, it’s helpful to understand what an antioxidant does. An antioxidant is a molecule that prevents the loss of oxygen when molecules combine. Loss of oxygen is known as oxidation, hence, antioxidant (for whatever reason, my mind was blown when I learned this little scientific nugget).  I like to think of antioxidants as the little super heroes that fight the villainous oxidation process. Antioxidants help to protect against and repair existent free radical damage, as well as other external forms of oxidative stress such as sun exposure, nicotine and alcohol, and stress.

What does this mean in terms of your skin? The damage caused by these oxidative stressors causes our skin to visibly age. Antioxidants both prevent this from happening and repair our skin if it already has. The concrete effects include minimizing  fine lines, brightening and retexturing the skin,  lightening of discoloration and over-pigmentation and overall improvement of the skin’s ability to repair itself. We have a tendency to be hard on our skin, sometimes without even knowing it, but antioxidants help us combat the effects of everyday life.

Obviously, skin care lines want to harness these incredible benefits for us, so allow me to fill you in on my favorites! Among the products we carry at A French Touch that utilize the power of antioxidants are the Sothys Energizing line (covered in depth here), Intensive Serum line, and Daily Protection Cream. Jan Marini also offers a fabulous Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant in addition to their C-Esta line, which includes cleansers, serums, lip treatments and masks that all incorporate antioxidants and vitamin C.

C-Esta products include Ascorbyl Palmitate, which is a fat soluble form of Vitamin C. It’s a fast absorbing, long-acting vitamin for your skin. As Jan Marini says “Because Ascorbyl Palmitate is fat soluble, it penetrates the skin very rapidly and intersperses in the cell membrane. This affinity with the cell membrane results in tremendous antioxidant benefits and helps to prevent cellular aging”. Ascorbyl Palmitate has been proven more effective than Ascorbic Acid, while being less irritating to the skin. This is in part because Ascorbic acid (used in most over-the-counter versions of “Vitamin C”) has a very low Ph, whereas Ascorbyl Palmitate does not. This is great for those of you with sensitive skin–all of the gain, none of the  pain (or redness). Even those of you who don’t have sensitive skin will benefit from the powerful antioxidant properties present in the C-Esta products.

In addition to these products, Lindsay and Patricia are now offering a fabulous antioxidant facial here at the salon. The ladies incorporate the powers of antioxidants with their usual expertise in a special Summer Antioxidant Facial. Plus, just because the ladies love to spoil you, a Summer Antioxidant Facial comes with a complimentary Vitamin Serum. Trust me, everything that goes into this facial (which was hand-crafted by Lindsay and Patricia), will make your skin look and smell beautiful. As always, you will leave feeling refreshed and pampered. With the new ingredients, your skin will be dewy, glowing, and fresh.

If you have any questions about any of the products that incorporate the power of antioxidants, the Summer Antioxidant Facial, or simply want a personalized recommendation, you can always book a 15 minute Skin Care Consultation or call us. The ladies of A French Touch are always happy to hear from you. Of course, you can always simply book the facial here and allow the ladies to take care care of you. I for one would go with option number two, but that’s just me.

Enjoy the beginning of your summer, mes amis!

À bientôt!

Adrienne