Nausheen Qureshi is a true skincare expert. Her advice is the best of the best, and all deeply rooted in science. She is recognised as a world class future-formulator with an unprecedented waiting list … but we’re giving you, our readers, direct access to her highly sought after advice.
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Why you should use your moisturiser before an oil and how long you should leave before applying each product?
Your moisturiser has a water component with water-soluble active ingredients dissolved within it and an oil component with oil-soluble active
ingredients. Oils block the water soluble actives from creams from being able
to be delivered to the skin. Because oils have a higher density than water,
they are perfect as the last step of your skincare routine to lock in all the
actives that you have supplied your skin. Even better so that they are less
likely to evaporate off the skin (that’s a thing too!). I would leave 2-5 minutes
between skincare products application – you will give the delivery methods
time to work and allow time for the skin to reset its pH so that the optimal
health of the skin can be achieved.
Why skin can feel tight after cleansing & what is the ideal way to cleanse?
Your skin’s pH rests around 5 – this means it is acidic as it is our primary defence organ against pathogens so the acidity keeps them away in the first
instance. Most cleansers have surfactants in them – which are foaming
agents. However, these surfactants are alkaline so the huge swing in pH
between the skin and the product causes the skin barrier to be slightly
compromised, making you feel tightness in your skin. The way around this is
to use an acidic foaming cleanser, or a pH balanced cleanser. In my opinion
foams are the best way to get dirt and oils off the skin. They form micelles
which trap and encapsulate the dirt and oils within them and transport them
away from the skin effectively using water. I recommend this over oil and balm
cleansing. As we have mentioned, oil residues on the skin can reduce the
impact and efficacy of any products you put on after cleansing making them a
waste. Foams, so long as they are pH balanced, effectively create the best
canvas on your skin so that any product you put on after it works more
efficiently. Really important to work in the foaming cleanser into the skin for 2-3 minutes, as much as you can really, even leave it on the whole time you are
in the shower if you can multitask that way. The longer it is on your skin and
you are working it into your face, the better. If you do have a lot of make up on
your skin and prefer oil cleansing first to remove the make-up, this is fine, so
long as you cleanse your skin with a foaming cleanser immediately afterwards
for a minimum of 2 minutes.
What is dry skin, why do we get it and how can we fix it?
Your skin can become dry because of the seasons (winter of course),
because of your lifestyle (alcohol, lack of sleep, lack of vegetables, fruit and
water – all the good stuff really), because of your genetics, because of your
age (as we age our skin’s natural ceramides are lost and that causes
extremely dry skin), because of our hormones (oestrogen regulates the
sebum on our face so any extreme in this hormone will cause dryness).
We fix it by layering products. First and foremost use a water based serum, like a hydrating peptide serum or a hyaluronic acid serum. Then wait 5
minutes before applying a ceramide-enhanced cream (to enrich the ceramide-
depleted skin). After another 2-5 minutes apply an oil and spend some time
massaging into the skin – this really does help with structural elements of the
face, even I have been impressed with the results just a couple of minutes of
massage a day can make. For those with extra dry skin, a nice balm over the
top of this just helps lock in the actives and the hydration on the skin.
I know you may not have all the time in the world to just sit there and apply
skincare products, so do what you can when you can.
Body acne – how do we get rid of it?
Try not to overdry the skin. Although sulphates are not awful for most skin
types, for those with sensitive and inflamed skin, you will do well to use
sulphate-free shampoos and body washes. Don’t use any loofahs or
scrubbing products on your skin, you want to do as little as possible to the
skin and not disrupt the skin barrier. Keep skin well-hydrated, not only
topically but also by sleeping in a room with a humidifier for example. Use
antibacterial hydrating sprays, any creams or sprays with lactic acid or
salicylic acid will help reduce the inflammation. If it is a really bad form of acne
and it gets worse, it would be best to seek medical advice and see your GP
for medical intervention rather than possibly making it worse with anything you can get over the counter.
Shop our range of body care products for acne prone skin here.
Is it possible to get rid of cellulite?
I would love to say there is but unfortunately there is no scientific evidence so
far that any topical actives help reduce or rid us of cellulite. It is because the
skin suffers at a much deeper level than we are topically able to help with
skincare science. Some massage techniques have a very slight effect and
there are new medical devices and treatments that may help to get rid of it
from medical clinics.
When you should start using an eye cream?
I am horrified to hear that 20 year olds use eye creams! Good and effective
eye creams will contain peptides because the number one concern is that the
eyes age first and volume loss in the skin first appears here. Hence the
peptides in to the rescue as they deal with volume loss and help restore this
to the skin, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. The problem is 20-
something and 30-something (depending on your genetics and lifestyle) skins
do this very well as they are still young and renew the cells at a decent rate. The skin processes still work well and they need no “help” so to speak. So when we deliver actives to the skin that we no longer need it is my belief that the skin may become lazy in doing this itself. Save peptides, eye creams, retinols for your mid-30s and beyond. Your long-term skin health is so much more important.
Look out for more skincare tips next month!
