The Best (and worst) At Home Beauty Tools!

August is my birthday month and with every year that passes (trust me I know I'm still young!) I am a little more aware of aging prevention. Skin care, massage and eating well are important steps of proper skin care and preventative we'll call it "maturing" work. Today I am sharing with you the at home tools that I love, and some I have tried and wasn't impressed with. By the way not all of these are just for maturing skin! Some address acne, rosacea and other skin concerns as well.

Nuface Microcurrent Machine

Microcurrent is a low-level current that mimics the body’s natural current and can provide both instant and cumulative anti-aging results. Think of it as electric exercise for your face! (In the most not scary way.) It has been used for many years and a Esthetician created this gentle device for at home use. I purchased one during the Nordstom Sale last month and so far am really liking it. I can see and feel a difference. This piece is an investment but if you are serious about your skin it might just be worth a shot. I do not use the gel included, I use A Natural Difference Hydrotant Gel.

Gua Sha

If you read my blog regularly or get facials with me you probably already know I love gua sha! Read about it on my previous blog post below. Gua sha tools are now available at the spa for $24. Think natural botox!

Facial Gua Sha At Home

Jade Roller

A common question people ask is what is the difference between gua sha and jade rolling. Both can either be a jade stone or rose quartz stone. Traditional massage gua sha is more of a scraping method breaking up fascia and often minor bruising. This is not the case for the face but there is still more of a gliding and sculpting method to this tool, while a jade roller is massaged gently over the skin without any sculpting or much increased circulation effect. A jade roller is best for mild puffiness and feels good cold. I carry spiked rollers ($24) at the spa that increase circulation more for when you don't have time to gua sha in the morning!

Ice Roller

Did you know that melasma (patchy discolorations) can be induced by heat? Maybe you wear SPF like crazy and a hat, but if you're in the heat melasma can still pop up after all your hard work! Keeping the skin cool as much as possible in the summer can help keep it at bay. I love my ice roller! I use it to calm down overall redness, soothe a breakout, and it can calm redness from rosacea. Ice rollers are also now available at the spa for $19.95 as well!

High frequency

If I have ever asked you "have I zapped you before?" you know what I'm about to talk about! High frequency is a gas electrode that is ran over the skin that kills acne bacteria, prevents breakouts, tightens pores and helps products to penetrate. I often use it after extractions or if you have any breakout that seems to be popping up to shorten the life of it. The first product below is ARGON gas which is purple/blue and is what kills bacteria. The second product is NEON gas which is red and is used more for product penetration, skin tightening and anti-aging. Note that you cannot use this machine if you have any metal in your body, if you have any heart problems or you are pregnant as it is an electric current that is going through your body.

Silk Pillowcase

I love my silk pillow case! Silk pillowcases prevent wrinkles, keep your skin more hydrated, reduce frizz and keep your hair more soft and silky. The most popular brand is "Silk" and their pillow cases are $85. I have not bought one to know if it's better, but this a great option, and the one I have. Remember that neck and chest wrinkles start with how you sleep too!

Products I'm not a big fan of:

Nurse Jamie Uplift

I also bought this and a few of Nurse Jamie's other products during the Nordstrom sale. Nurse Jamie is a celebrity dermatologist who I follow on Instagram and she is pretty popular. She has a line of products that celebrities often post about but it's hard to know how much they might actually like a product, if they're be paid, or just supporting a friend. It's not that I hate or even really dislike this uplift massaging roller, but for the price point I expected a lot more. I would say my jade roller or doing gua sha does the same thing, if not better.

Clarisonic

I get asked about this tool a lot. I personally do not love clarisonics for a few reasons. My first reason is that they recommend using it twice a day. Using an exfoliant this abrasive twice a day will damage your skin's moisture barrier. I am also all for clean skin, but I wonder if the clarisonic is removing too much from your skin. We have a natural barrier and skin processes for a reason! When I worked at Sephora years ago we were allowed to borrow a clarisonic for a week. I used it I think once a day for the week and didn't feel that my skin looked or felt any different. I know that some people love them and if you're using it just a few times a week, you're probably fine.

I hope that you found these helpful and will expand your home beauty tool regimen with one of these fun tools one day soon!

Kayla