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Host: Welcome to the Lifelong Wellness podcast where we talk to wellness professionals from different walks of life from around the world and get their insight into living healthier. I’m your host, Wes Malik. Today's episode will revolve around skincare and the epidermis. We have with us a skincare expert in the form of Chris Gibson, who reveals myths about acne and offers natural alternative approaches to skincare popularized in his books and his books have sold over 1 million copies. His groundbreaking book Acne Free in 3 Days was an instant success. He’s been featured on CBS, ABC, Fox News, The Daily Buzz, many TV shows. He runs his own website and he's got a very popular YouTube channel with thousands of subscribers on youtube.com/CHRISGIBSONLIVE. Let’s speak to him about skincare today. Chris, welcome to the Lifelong Wellness podcast. How are you today?
Chris: I’m great. How are you?
Host: Very good. You have been a skincare expert for the longest time. I viewed your videos, you've written several books. Your biggest book was Acne Free in 3 Days, which sold over a million copies and that was quite a while ago. How long have you been, you know, involved with the skincare?
Chris: Well, as you talk about the book I've been helping clients, specifically, for what is that now, 10,15…15 years. If you talk about the practice that I use, as far as what I do for skincare for myself and what I’ve shared with others since I was in my early 20’s actually in the ’80s. So yeah, awhile. (laughing)
Host: Okay. What brought you to this field?
Chris: Oh, it’s interesting because I had…My past life was working for a phone company and I was part of the growth of that business and I was writing books to help people do things online at the time. And I had a business partner who was asking me, “You know, what do you do for your skin because you don’t look your age”. And by then, I was in my late 30’s going to my early 40’s and I said, “Well, I take good care of my skin and I know what not to eat and I know what impact skincare ingredients have so I know what to stay away from”. And so his wife was really interested in, both of them, following that advice and they start following that advice and it worked really well for them and so he said, “You know, you should write a book on that.” (laughing) Someone should write a book that is basically what happened. And so I put together a tiny e-book it was probably about 60 pages long that we put out online and it just went nuts. No, I did not expect that. I did not expect to wake up the next day with, you know, thousands of sales across the country. You know, not just here, Canada here, and specifically in the UK. Huge, huge bump of sales. Yeah. So, that's how that all got started. (laughing)
Host: It goes to show the large demand for information and knowledge about skin care out there and how people really want to learn how to take care of their skin and how to treat problems like acne and it continues to do today. It's been something that people have been wanting for the longest time and they will continue to do so in the skincare product industry. Huge!
Chris: Yeah, it’s nuts. It’s billions of dollars, billions of dollars.
Host: Yeah.
Chris: And just gotten even bigger in the last, you know, celebrities are jumping in on that and is thus making it harder for the consumer to know what to trust, who to trust. Because we are all label-conscious and what we’re on marketed to. It can be a pretty consistent basis even if you don't watch television, and I'm not a big TV person, it's everywhere anyway. (laughing) Online, you know, with retargeting now if you look at anything suddenly you’re flooded with all these ads related to that subject. So, it’s hard to get away from and what makes it harder to know what is good and what is not so good for you and then you add a layer of that that not one product works for everyone. Because our body skin is different, their ancestry is somewhat different, which plays a whole genetic do and then, of course, your sensitivities to different products. Like some people aren't sensitive to petroleum, which is a lot of products and a lot of people are. So you pretty much have to do the work of figuring out what your skin type is and then picking out the right products and reteam to match your personal’s skin's needs. And that's where it gets really hard because everything looks so great and it's new and it's a new science and new technology and a new celebrity is coming out. This year especially it’s going to be crazy because Gaga, Lady Gaga, has a line coming out, Jennifer Lopez has a line coming out.
Host: Yes and it’s not going to stop there. There could be many more celebrity endorsements. It's a wonderful way for them to cash in on their personalities and their popularities and that's how, you know, they're making billions of dollars. Kylie Jenner is the youngest self-made billionaire because of the cosmetics company she started. She did very intelligently and it's been very successful. A lot of people want to emulate that model. You’re also a holistic health expert so we’re going to pick your brain about a lot of things, not only the skin but to me, you know, tell me if I'm wrong. Taking care of our skin is it only vanity? Is it only our appearance to others? Is, you know, is that the only purpose of skincare?
Chris: No, no, not at all. Actually, your skin is a guidance system to yofor health. A lot of times it will tell you what's going on with you. You know, many, many diseases have a component where the skin behaves a certain way and the issue is, is that and you’re right on something here is that the skin needs to be nourished from the inside and out to be healthy. And then it needs to be nourished from the outside in and protected some degree from the environment which, believe it or not, actually started with the Egyptians, the first humans to really consider what things to do to their skin to protect it from the elements. So it's really an interesting part of our humanity is and our evolution our bodies expect that, expect some projection. You know, we’re about sunscreens galore. We can spend a show on just the sunscreen thing right now with all the stuff amount of chemicals. But, you know, it's a two-pronged apart. The better you treat your skin to your life, the better you look and feel obvious about how you appear. But the better you're going to have your skin behave for you and that's what's really important because there are a lot of people that go out and do things to look good like plastic surgery, but they don't look so good. And so, you want to make sure that your skin is behaving healthily up until you decide to leave the planet.
Host: Okay.
Chris: And it is really a big indicator of what you've done over several years because it's all accumulative.
Host: I don't pay attention to my skin and I think I should. I only recently started using sunscreen because, you know, I'm a darker fellow and I thought maybe I don't need it but my wife keeps insisting that I do. I think she's right. Let's start with the basics. Give us a rundown on what we should be doing and what we should not be doing internally, externally, product-wise. You know, lotion, stuff that we’re supposed to be applying. How about stuff that we’re supposed to be eating or drinking or what to stay away from?
Chris: Sure. Well, it's really not that hard. The first thing you need to try to do is to determine what your skin type is. For most people it's a combination of drier areas and oilier areas, that’s normal.
Host: Okay.
Chris: If you have extra oily skin, then when you're looking at products you are going to stay away from products that have waxes…
Host: Yeah?
Chris: …parabens and things like mineral oil or petroleum.
Host: Okay.
Chris: If you have drier skin, you’re going to want to use products that do have emollients in them, such as olive oil, coconut oil, argan oil.
Host: Okay.
Chris: You’d try to stay away from volumes as it is basically a chemical. So from the outside in, that said, from the outside in the first thing you want to do is make sure that you're using sunscreen.
Host: Okay.
Chris: And that’s anywhere you live. Because of that layer of protection, and I always recommend zinc-based, there are several brands out in the market and try to stay away from the ones that have avobenzone and octyl methoxycinnamate. When you see octi thing or Benzi that type of stuff, those chemicals are the chemicals right now that are causing a stir because they're causing problems in the clarity and they’re causing problems because they penetrate the blood failure in the humans.
Host: I see, okay.
Chris: So, the more natural, the better, that’s the first point. So, definitely sunscreen. I'm working my way back here than normally in the skincare routine. But the reason for that is because that is such an important piece that people forget. The next thing is to make sure that you're using a cleanser that is right for your skin's pH. And the way you know if the cleanser was right or not is after you cleanse with it, and that’s a body cleanse or facial if your skin is squeaky clean, dry, and tight. Whatever you're using and it doesn't matter the brand, it’s too harsh. The pH is too high for that. So what you want to do is try to switch to a water-based wash. Now, if you’re not having that problem, and even though it may have sulfates in it, which is the thing that makes it foam, maybe you may not be sensitive to those and it's fine. Your skin should always feel refreshed and moist. Even after you use a towel, if you touch your skin, it should feel not tight but just clean and moist.
Host: Okay.
Chris: Refreshed is the way it should feel. If it doesn’t then the product is not for you. Then you want to switch to glycerine-based, sorbitol-based, or water-based cleansers that have those types of certificates because they're not as harsh. The thing we don't want to do is take, and this is even if you have acne problems, a lot of people that have breakouts think of like, it’ll dry that out and that's not the case. If you're using something that’s stripping all of the oil, which is what we don't want to do, all of the man-made oil that you make, your human body makes, then it's going to be off-balance and it’s going to try to produce a lot more oil. And if you have acne problems, that's one thing we don't want is excess oil. So, if you're very oily, a lot of times that's also a sign that your face cleanser or your body cleanser is too stringent or too strong.
Host: Okay.
Chris: So, next after face wash, is an exfoliation step of some kind. Now, years and years ago I had the top dermatologist I worked with for my skin problems and gave me a piece of advice along with the fact that oily skin you won’t wrinkle which is really good, I guess. (laughing) When you’re in your 20’s you don’t care about that as much, but there is a sponge called a buff puff and there are many versions of this. It’s a little egg-shaped sponge that's basically a gentle skin exfoliation sponge and I recommend people use some device like that or a gentle scrub that they can use daily to remove dead skin cells that build up on all this is the same thing that happens to everyone. And as we get older that skin tends to stick around longer. So, a daily exfoliation routine is going to keep that off, keep that from trapping oil, dirt, and bacteria. Those that have skin issues like breakouts and eczema or rosacea or any of those things where that platelets of skin to this day and cause our problem, that’s going to be very helpful. Then, I always recommend some sort of peeling serum and AHA which is alpha-hydroxy acid or BHA or a combination of those two in a moisturizing cream, hopefully water-based. Now, if you have super dry skin, it's wintertime like we are, sometimes we want to use a moisturizer that has an oil base, that says olive oil or again, no petroleum, not that kind of oil. Like mineral oil is not good, petroleum is not good. Anything that says paraffin or waxes, other than beeswax is really not good. But you will see things with argan oil, olive oil, Moroccan oil is really big right now, anything of those natural emollients. So, we want to moisturize. So, we cleanse, we exfoliated and we want to moisturize. And then toners or basically, I’m not a big fan of toners, although they’re a big piece of a lot of the big skincare lines like these celebrity lines. I like the Korean essence sprays better and the reason for that is most toners have alcohol in the denatured alcohol and alcohol is very drying to the skin. So if you've already cleansed your skin and you’re using a toner, it can be a problem. Although toners are good for makeup removal. And there's a product now called micellar water, which a lot of people might be familiar with. It’s a big thing right now and it’s just basically ionized water but it helps remove makeup and dirt oil and impurities before you cleanse without drying the skin out because it’s water. So then again, you want to do all those steps and you want to treat for the issues that you have. And by that I mean if you have breakouts or you have some photo-aging happening, Vitamin C serums are very good. There are so many brands that have that and are very, very good but you want to use a serum. Peptides, if you’re looking at ant-aging. If you’re over 25, peptides and Vitamin C serums are very important. Niacinamide, if you have breakouts is simply vitamin B3 in a serum form. The Ordinary which is a big brand all over the world right now carries it without any fragrance, I knew that stuff I talk about fragrance that’s something in it. But that product can actually help speed heal breakouts and keep you from getting the marks that are left behind when the acne clears. A lot of people have the issue of discoloration and scarring. So basically that's it. You want to cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize, treat your condition and then, of course, protect whatever you're doing from the sun.
Host: You're an expert in acne and people have different types of skin and they have different types of problems. What are the most common types of acne and how should people be treating them? And follow up question to that what do people do wrong? What should they not be doing?
Chris: The acne is, you know, on my YouTube channel I talk a lot about it. (laughing)
Host: Yeah, you do. Yeah.
Chris: You think it was cured with all the stuff, you know, with the things that have been around and I don't like to pick on brands in particular, so I'm glad you asked that question the way you did. There are several different types or levels of acne breakouts. There is the intermittent acne breakout, the occasional block pore that can actually turn into a cyst that does happen.
Host: Yeah.
Chris: There’s ongoing acne which happens, it’s pretty much a constant struggle, but it's not really cystic, it’s very surface-oriented. And then, of course, there is deeper cystic acne which is what I had, which means basically I did the infection happens down deeper into the pore downward below the dermis and where the collagen level is. That’s why those cystic cause scarring if they’re not cared for properly. So, the basic approach of all dermatology and dermatologist will tell you the same thing, and I worked with a lot of them, with acne is to prevent scarring. So, what you don't want to do is, you don't want to pick and prod and poke acne. Because what you do is you push it further down to the pore and when it is healed, it has pushed the collagen layer away from the circular part of the pore and gets that little indentation or scar. So, what we want to do is, and now it’ll answer what people are doing wrong, but what we want to do is we want to make sure that we’re steaming the skin with a warm to a hot washcloth for 15 to 20 minutes if you have acne. This is cystic, too. What this helps do is pores aren’t really open and close, but what they’ll do is they will sweat and produce the sweat to push out the dirt, oil, impurities, and extra sebum that’s done in the pore that gets the immune system's attention. That's what acne is, just basically your immune system saying, “Man, something is going on here. We need to throw a bunch of white blood cells out it and cure it and you get the bump.” So, what your body is trying to do you a favor, you’re having that issue. So, we want to steam the skin and then do this, the routine that I just talked about is the same cleansing, exfoliation.
Host: You have a really nice tutorial on YouTube on youtube.com/CHRISGIBSONLIVE and you explain and you show all these things that you're talking about and we can actually view you doing this regimen at just Chris Gibson Live on YouTube, right?
Chris: That's correct.
Host: Alright. Now, getting to the part that you mentioned what we shouldn't be doing, no picking, no touching things like that. What about the products available out there? The 45 days, 60-day, and the recurring and the, I don’t know what they’re called, the active this and that.
Chris: Yes and you’re right. And that’s, see, that just tells you it is a confusing thing and I went through it and people still go through it. I have our network built around where folks can talk to each other online for that very reason because again not every product works for every person but it all comes down to ingredients. And ingredients that are usually in acne products are almost all of them is benzoyl peroxide or some form that. Adapalene, which is the newest one which is a different gel, which is what it was a prescription up to about three years ago and they became over-the-counter. Adapalene works for a lot of people and then salicylic acid, which has been around forever, is basically a BHA. And then a host of glycolic acid has been added to the mix, which is an AHA. You heard a lot about glycolic acid peels and stuff for anti-aging.
Host: What are BHA’s and AHA’s?
Chris: I’m glad you ask that question because there is a difference. AHAs are glycolic acids and they’re usually made from things like sugarcane, vegetables, and sometimes citrus. And what they do is they sit on the surface of the skin. They sink into that very outer microscopic layer of skin cells that are kind of stuck…
Host: Yes.
Chris: …and to make them flake off.
Host: Okay.
Chris: Now, it’s not flaking off like a sun skin peel or sunburn but it’s microscopic, but it helps that process when you’re using the buff puff or the scrub or whatever you’re doing to really get that type of skin off. BHA's, like salicylic acid, sink deeper into this, they’re able to sink past the very outer layer into the lower, not all the way down into the dermis because FTA doesn’t allow that sort of thing that’s a skin peel, but it does get low enough down into that upper layer of the skin to help speed up that that exfoliation process that naturally occurs. So basically what's happening is the BHA is a stronger type of acid and it's doing all this work by changing the pH on your skin. That’s basically, what it's doing if you wanted to know the scientific process. And then what the BHA's do most people apply those either 2% or lower in skincare products or sometimes in the peels. The ordinary has a peel that’s 30% AHA, 2% BHA to give you an idea of the strength level difference. And that's a once to twice a week peel serum. So, that kind of gives you an idea of the strengths. And what that does is it just helps the skin sluff off the skin cells that it would normally need to do. When we’re babies, we do that easily, but then we get older, we trigger skin a little bit, more badly. And as we age we’re not producing nearly as much oil as evenly so that does tend to happen. And this is all true for chest acne, back acne, neck acne, hormonal acne, which is another type that comes about when people's hormones shift, ladies in their menstrual cycle, sometimes it’s guys as they go through their teen years, over up and down testosterone, they’re producing extra oil. All acne really is, all that is your immune system, noticing that there is a bacteria down in your pore and freaking out over it to whatever degree.
Host: That's it.
Chris: That’s all it is. That’s it. It's not dirt, it's not anything to do with anything else other than oil production. And people with smaller pore sizes tend to have more problems. That's genetically in my family, that was part of my issue. Steaming is so important but it isn't anything you're doing wrong. Now, it can be triggered by too much sugar in the diet and I think it’s moving us internally now. (laughing) But it can be triggered and they've seen this…There have been so many scientific studies that come out even start with the book because I'm doing a new version of that book, adding the new things we found. But for things like altered dairy or dairy from cows that had a lot of antibiotics…
Host: Yeah?
Chris: …that has translated or transferred into this food you’re eating…
Host: Yeah?
Chris: …can cause an imbalance that can trigger acne.
Host: Okay.
Chris: Sugar was my big trigger.
Host: Okay.
Chris: I’ve learned that by drinking diet, I mean, regular Coca-Cola's and sodas and it would break me out. So, your diet does play a role, oftentimes in the triggering mechanism for those in breakouts.
Host: Okay. Acne is usually perceived as, you know, a young person's problem. You know, you go through your teen years pretty much everybody gets it, but it does persist for some people throughout their years as well. You also mentioned, you know, you’re 40’s, if you're a woman you might get it again. Sometimes things change in your body, but here's the thing that people my age try to, are starting to get concerned about and that is wrinkles and anti-aging products. Me, I’m an oil of Olay kind of a guy, alright? (laughing) So, I’ll use, you know, some lotion and, you know, just pray that maybe I’ll just look younger. I don’t know, but that is something that people are trying to attain in terms of their skin. Anti-aging products, what’s your take on that?
Chris: Yes, right there with you. Right there with you on that because I'm on now, and people are shocked. Whenever I bring it up on the channel that I'm going to be 56 in March, like “What?!” I’m like, “Yeah”. (laughing)
Host: Wait, hold on. You’re going to be 56 in March?
Chris: Yeah, I’ll be 56.No botox, no plastic surgery, none on that stuff. No.
Host: I’m sure you get this comment a lot. In fact, you do get this comment a lot. You have great skin. It's fantastic. it is. I would define it as Rob Lowe's levels of radiance.
Chris: If you’re going to tell me in my 20’s that I would ever in my life have a conversation on some radio show about how good my skin looks, I would have thought you’re crazy. (laughing) Absolutely crazy because I was still battling the problems.
Host: Right.
Chris: But anti-aging, you know, this is I guess the way life moves you through, you know, takes the biggest problems and turns them into opportunities to help other people. And now it's funny because I'm still talking the act me talk. After all, it’s still the hit problem but you’re right. The anti-aging thing and was so nice is that people in their 20s are listening. My audience on YouTube is mainly, I mean I have a lot of folks that are doing the anti-aging thing, but they're in their 20s and 30s.
Host: Right.
Chris: So, they’re listening to what I'm telling them and it's, in what other people are telling, I'm certainly not the only one, that you got to do it now. You got to start taking good care of your skin now so that it will benefit you later on and you won’t have as many problems with it. So, clearly, the great news about anti-aging products and there's so much science that's good in it, no it’s not something I said about the skincare industry very often, but there’s a lot of focus there.
Host: Yes.
Chris: It can be reversed. A lot of things can be reversed, but as with everything in the human body, it's always much easier if you don't get there in the first place. And for me I did not get there in the first place although I have my little issues, I do skin peel, I always talk about that in my channel. I’m a big believer in exfoliation, exfoliation, exfoliation. You know, snakes exfoliate their skin like every 30, 90 (days), depending on the species and they look the same when they croak. (laughing) No matter how old they are that they did.
Host: Yeah.
Chris: But, you know, and it’s because of exfoliation. So, I know what a great tool that is if you don't take it too far. Your skin, you can take it too far and you see people that do that. I mean, we have celebrities that have taken stuff too far. You know, we have regular people who have taken things too far. But in general, if you do a good exfoliation between something light daily and then your weekly using something deeper, maybe every 90 days a chemical light peel and by that I mean, like the deeper glycolic peel, something like that, and you should always check with the dermatologist. If you’re going to do anything that's going to make your skin have to repair itself, peel, definitely it needs to be through a dermatologist or aesthetician because those things need to be applied correctly, there are time limits on how, you know, a lot of things. But they can be hugely beneficial, especially if you have damage from the sun where you have acne scarring, you should not be afraid to talk to a dermatologist about the deeper level of skin exfoliation and peels because it can really make a big difference. I'm not a big person, I’m not a believer in Botox, I’m never going to use that. It is what it is for me because, I want to say it goes against what I believe, it does. I mean, I believe people should do whatever they feel like they should do to look good. It just doesn't fall within my spectrum of things that I do and it's not necessary for me. So, because it's not necessary for me I feel like it's not a necessary step at all. But again, if that makes you feel better about yourself and that's a personal choice you need to make. So, I want to lay on top of that on the anti-aging that sunscreen, I don't care if you've never used it before, you should start today. (laughing)You just start today.
Host: Can you go over the types of sunscreen again for our listeners? You mention stuff to stay away from and the right way to sunscreen. Could you repeat that, please?
Chris: Sure because it is really, it is really probably the keystone of everything. Sunscreens that you want to look for are naturally base their zinc.
Host: Okay.
Chris: They’re mineral-based sunscreens. They're coming out with more of those now for the face. They've been around for a while for body and about three years ago they, states like Hawaii and I believe the Keys now and several others that have banned certain skincare chemicals like avobenzone, octinoxate. So, if you see something like that on a label, that's usually in the aerosol versions of sunscreens.
Host: Oh, really? Okay.
Chris: Yes, then you are using a product…I’m not going to say throw it out.
Host: Okay.
Chris: But you know when you're out of it, replace it with something better for you and the environment. Now, the problem with sunscreen chemicals is that they have been shown to penetrate the skin and get into the bloodstream. Now, I haven't seen any negative effects from that, but we just discovered that it does that. So it's good to understand what you're putting on your skin, just like it is what you ate.
Host: Right.
Chris: And sunscreen levels…Here's where it gets really crazy. Everybody thinks they need to run out and buy 50 SPF. No, you don't. (laughing) 50 SPF is expensive, it’s heavy, it’s greasy in most cases. If you want to use it on your body like you’re on a cruise or you live in a northern latitude, you know wherever, in Cancun, you don’t have to protect your skin. But basically, if you use a 15 or a 30, which 30 is prime, it’s the premium level…
Host: Okay.
Chris: …of protection, necessary protection. If your skin is not been in the sun at all, you want at least to use a 30 and reapply it often. You know, follow directions on the label. Sunscreen can do all of them whether the chemicals are greater not. Do a good job of describing the appropriate way to apply it.
Host: Got it.
Chris: Now here's a big myth. You don't really need to apply it 10 to 15 minutes or half an hour before you get in the sun.
Host: Okay.
Chris: You need to apply it as soon as you think about it. (laughing) If you can do it before you go, you forget, just apply it as soon as you can and then make sure that you reapply it in intervals, usually, it’s 45 minutes to an hour. Zinc is going to protect your skin just as well, it’s completely based on sunscreen. Again, it’s all about reapplying it, making sure that if you’re swimming that you're reapplying it. And here's another one that I work with clients all the time. A lot of the lady clients I have, and some of the guys, who wear makeup know that they are using SPF 15 in their foundations and it's not enough.
Host: Okay.
Chris: You need to use sunscreen before you apply your foundation which means you need to find another again water-based, zinc-based sunscreen, or if your products have 30 SPF enough, you can get away with that. We can use that, but it’s one of those things that, you know, if you go and buy 50 you get to pay a lot more for, it gets in your eyes it burns, it's greasy, it doesn't absorb well, it is not good for the planet.
Host: So, 30 is good enough. That's very, very good tips. I have a pressing question that's on my mind. When I walked down the aisle of, you know, Walmart, Cosco wherever and I’m going to the cosmetics section I see all these high-priced lotions and, you know, regenerates this and, you know, that, you know, there is stuff for $30, $40, $50, I mean, the skies the limit. And I’m the kind of guy who will probably just go to a Dollar store and say, “Hey, look at that!” You know, there's some lotion there for two bucks or four bucks and I'll pick that up. I like, for example, I recently found this really nice argan oil and aloe vera cream, it’s like a no-name brand and I love it. It's fantastic. Do I need to be spending $30, $40, $50 on products and items to be getting the result that I need to?
Chris: Not always. Not always and what you're talking about as long as the…It really comes back down to again ingredients and effectiveness. If you've got a product that doesn't have like mineral oil or petroleum or a lot of alcohol in it or sulfates, the things we’ve talked about, and it's working for you and you paid 2 for 50 for it, there's no reason to replace it. In fact, I’ve done a couple of videos this winter already since the first of the year about dupes. You know, instead of paying $75 for this brand, you can get essentially the same ingredients and the same effect for $20 for this brand or $5 for this brand. So, yeah, I mean that's really a good question. No, it really depends on you. Now, certain brands have certain levels of ingredients and sometimes you are paying for that and they all usually tell you that in the advertising but you can. Certainly, people show up tons of money from the names of brands as they think that they are, you know, the best. I could name 50 of them, but it really is your personal choice and personal results with something. There are a lot of people who spend a lot of money for a name brand, Sephora, where they’re going to pay for buying a Sephora because, you know, there is a middle man there. They’re going to pay $75 for a face wash, which freaks me out for an ounce of anything, $75, I don’t do that. (laughing) I guess good things skincare company send me stuff. (laughing) Success because I’m like, “No way!” when you can go out and get essentially the same products from Neutrogena or someone else like that, that's a less expensive brand. It really is…Here’s what I would do if I paid $75 for something, let’s say a serum, and it worked really, really well for me and it's in my budget, that's fine. But if I can find it for less, I’m going to look at the ingredients that I'm going to go online and I'm going to, or go to my YouTube channel and look for dupes that I can get the same thing for less money. I'm going to do that because again it all comes back down to ingredients, really it does, and ingredient mix. I would say skincare is knowing your skin type and then picking the correct products or ingredient mix and then having the correct skincare routine. That skincare solved, I mean that’s what I do, that's skincare solved right there. If you get those three pieces right then you can interchange products all you want as long as you’re getting results.
Host: That’s great advice. When I'm looking at the ingredients, should I be focused on stuff that says organic or natural?
Chris: Well, you know, ingredients are hard and that is probably why there's so many of us on YouTube that's been, quite a bit of time talking about what they are and what they mean. But basically, the main things that you want to try to avoid are paraffin, phthalates, parabens, which are different P-A-R-A-B-E-N-S, parabens which you don't find too much. They’re pretty much been eliminated. Things like mineral oil, petroleum, things like sulfates, sulfites, formaldehyde, which is used as an analydes, A-N-A-L-Y-D-E-S, analydes. So, some people don't know what that is. What’s an analydes? That doesn’t sound, it was from aldehyde. So the best thing if you're really going to be conscious about it is, if you really like the product just, I think you can do this on Google and I think you can take a picture of the label.
Host: Yes.
Chris: And I think it will tell you some of the things that are in it and what they are. Otherwise, it’s just better just going to look it up. But the last ingredient lists, the better usually. (laughing) Because you'll know some of the high-end brands and you’re buying those and your water’s off, of course. And then they'll have 5 or 6 agree and they're just the purest form in. And look for skincare brands and companies that will tell you all of the ingredients.
Host: Okay.
Chris: Like fragrance which is one that I'm really on the soapbox about right now causes a lot of problems for people because they can be natural fragrances mixed with synthetic fragrances and the things that I just talked about. Tolune, which is T-O-L-U-N-E, things like that they’re made from can be very irritating to some people’s skin. So, they may be using a product for acne and, “This product isn’t working right”. It has fragrance in it. So, if you have sensitive skin or acne-prone skin, I recommended that you use a fragrance-free product is just easier than trying to figure out what is fragrance because, in the US, the FDA only requires companies to put the word fragrance. They don't tell you what's in it.
Host: Okay.
Chris: And that came about in 1966 because a very famous Cologne company, Chanel No. 5, did not want editors to know what their ingredient mix was to make up their cologne.
Host: So, it’s just a generalized fragrance.
Chris: Yes for everything. So, some companies will tell you but some won’t. And essential oils, which are essential oils are really, really good when used properly but they don't always guarantee you no irritation because like I have trouble with lavender oil myself which is what I love. This smells wonderful but I can't put it on my skin where it is a skin emollient. A lot of people use that without a problem. So, just because it says essential oil doesn't mean it's organic, it doesn't mean it’s not going to cause a problem. Again, it all comes down to using the product yourself. If any skincare product gives you an issue, try to return it or just ditch it. (laughing) I have the drawer. Those people who are extinction junkies or anything along the same lines as I have that drawer of no return where I paid $30 for something, hated it and I couldn't bear to just throw it in the trash. It goes in the drawer until it's yellow and dusty and doesn't look like anything and I just decide to clean it out and throw it away. (laughing)
Host: Chris, thank you so much for being on the Lifelong Wellness podcast. Once again your YouTube channel is Chris Gibson Live. Where can we get your book?
Chris: It’s on Amazon. You can go to the Chris Gibson Live website and there's a free copy of the PDF version of the book. People can just download a free copy by going there. But, yes, Amazon carries it. I have a new one coming out soon that’s updated, but that book has been updated to the degree that I could without reprinting it. So, but there's lots of good information on the YouTube channel that's really the easiest way. I even have a video on how to find out what your skin type is.
Host: Oh, wonderful.
Chris: Yes. My skin community is called Skin So Fabulous and so it's easy to find online. I mean, it’s pretty easy to find but if you go to the YouTube channel all that information is there on the channel.
Host: Brilliant. Thank you so much for being with us today.
Chris: Enjoyed it.
