prepping skin for fall ...

regardless of the season, the very best travel accessory is always great, glowing skin. moving from summer into fall, though, can be particularly problematic: that golden glow from summer starts fading to a washed out yellow, the weather changes cause the skin to chap more than usual, and the drying air seems to suck the moisture out of everything it touches.

traditionally, this is my season to book weekly spa visits for microdermabrasion. my fair and sensitive skin does not take kindly to changes in the weather from season to season, and has to be sorted out pretty regularly by a professional.

this season is different. i'm not booking microdermabrasion at the spa. this season, there's just no need to go to the trouble or the expense.

i'm doing it at home with microdermx, a medical-grade crystal microdermabrasion system.

microdermx 2-step refinish & replenish system
$75 USD / two 2.1 oz. jars

i have tried other microdermabrasion systems, both drugstore brands and higher end, and just never got anything more than a really good exfoliation out of them. even chemical systems that rely on fruit acids to lift dead skin cells never gave me the same results as what i got from the spa treatments.

why? the biggest difference seems to be the abrasion method. most spas use a crystal-based exfoliation system in their microdermabrasion treatments. until now, i've not experienced any product outside the spa that uses the same crystal delivery method for microdermabrasion.

microdermx, though, DOES use crystals: corundum crystals, to be exact. why crystals? crystals have a rough chemical structure, which allows them to exfoliate much better and more efficiently than smoother things like microbeads (round does not exfoliate well in my opinion) or crushed shells or seeds (which can lose much of their exfoliation power during product processing).

corundum crystals, in particular, are a great choice for microdermabrasion because they are super-hard, second only to diamonds in hardness. they don't break down during treatment to leave little slivers of crystal on (or in!) your skin, and they don't lose their abrasiveness during processing, meaning that they become a very efficient tool to help you rid yourself of that flaky skin quickly at home.

the microdermx two part system is really simple. the first product - refinish - contains lots of natural oils and botanicals in which to deliver the exfoliating crystals. on clean skin, working a section at a time, use your fingers to rub the product in circular motions over your skin. the cream will penetrate the skin rather quickly, leaving a "grit" behind. keep rubbing until the "grit" sort of balls up and falls away (over your sink of course). repeat with the next section until you have covered your entire face (avoid eyes please). then rinse well. part two of the system - replenish - has natural ingredients to calm, soothe and rehydrate skin. just smooth it on and you're good to go!

what's my favorite part of the microdermx system? i love that the jars are the perfect size to carry with me when i travel, making every hotel room a potential spa treatment center!


[image via nikkel holistic skin care]