Written by Nina Livii
Many people think of terms like 'organic', 'natural', 'clean' skincare products and fluffy facials when they hear 'holistic skincare', but when it's true to it's essence, it's actually so much deeper than that. 'Holistic' skin care is just as result-oriented as 'clinical' skin care - it just takes a different approach. You may have journeyed onto a path where you realized that incorporating holistic skincare into your self care routine might be a healthy option long term, or you may be on the edge wondering if you can really get anything out of it or not. You may even be a skin care therapist yourself, and you're wondering if this is the right path for you. In order to avoid the 'fluff' and get the most out of holistic skincare, it's important to understand what it really is, and what it is not. In this blog post, I will break down the true meaning of holistic skin care and explain how your skin is connected to your overall wellness. I will also identify 'holistic' vs 'integrative' vs 'clinical' facial treatments and what they do; tell the truth about 'natural' skincare products; explain a Holistic Esthetician's view on 'aging' & 'modern beauty standards'; as well as explain how I got here.
Blog Table of Contents
Ten Reasons to Work with A Holistic Skin Care Therapist
The Holistic Skin Health Trio: Skin, Body, Psyche
What Might Your First Session with a Holistic Esthetician look like?
Holistic vs Integrative vs Clinic Facial Treatment Options
The Truth behind 'Natural' Skin Care Products
Six Tips on Finding High Quality & Efficient Skincare Products
Basic Holistic Skin Care Tips for Home
Let's start with the definition of 'Holistic':
Holistic therapies are based on looking at the 'whole' person, and this is what a 'Holistic Esthetician'/Skin Care Therapist does when treating your skin. Your skin is your first line of defense from the environment and it works with other body and organ systems to maintain homeostasis. Beneath the skin is an intricate combination of muscles, tissues, bones, arteries, nerves, glands and meridians that must work harmoniously together. This means that your skin plays a key roll in your overall health and well being. This also means that when a true 'Holistic Esthetician' evaluates and treats you, they will gather information not only about your skin, but also about your diet, lifestyle, and physical and emotional wellness as these things are all connected.
After a Holistic Esthetician evaluates you, they will come up with an individualized treatment plan that aligns corrective, preventative, supportive and restorative skin care therapies that focus on the health of the skin from the inside out while improving overall wellness long term. For example, a Holistic Esthetician does not just simply see puffiness underneath of the eyes and only assign an eye cream. A Holistic Esthetician will also consider what could be causing the puffiness. It has been clinically shown in Western & Eastern Medicine that puffiness underneath of the eyes can come from kidney imbalances. A Holistic Esthetician may use reflexology to stimulate acupressure points associated with the kidneys, and discuss nutrition and kidney balancing herbs, and/or they may use specific massage and gua sha techniques to promote lymph flow and drain fluid accumulation under the eyes. When a trained professional works on the lymph around your face and neck, this will also have benefits for your overall lymphatic system since 30% of your body's lymph is located around the face, neck and head, and one of the greatest concentrations of lymph is located in your skin. This is critical for immune health, detox, and overall well-being.
Holistic Estheticians/Skin Care Therapists have received the same exact training as Clinical Estheticians in trade school for esthetics, however once they receive their certification and licensure, Holistic Estheticians will continue their education by learning holistic style treatments, where clinical estheticians will continue their education learning clinical style treatments - some may do a little bit of both, and this is considered 'Integrative'.
As a Holistic and Integrative Esthetician myself, I categorize the foundations of skin health into 3 main categories: the skin, the body, the psyche (the psyche is a combination of the the human soul, mind, spirit) which I call the 'Holistic Skin Health Trio".
The first thing I do with a new client is a thorough consultation addressing all of these aspects, respecting how much they would like to share with me as their Holistic Esthetician and staying within my scope of practice for hands-on treatment. As I get to know their skin, I will look at what needs correction, what needs prevention, and what needs support, and I will assess what the potential root cause of their skin concern could be. A treatment plan is then created (and may need to be adjusted as things change) based on their individual needs and preferences to improve the health of the skin & promote overall wellness, along with a thorough home-care ritual including skin, wellness and lifestyle recommendations.
A highly simplified example of how an initial conversation with a holistic esthetician should go may look something like this:
*As I mentioned earlier, this is a highly simplified example, as there is a host of other factors as to why someone could have Rosacea, and there will be a lot more questions and dialogue involved.
What are some common 'Holistic', 'Integrative', and 'Clinical' Skin Care Treatments?
Holistic facial treatments are generally the primary treatments that Holistic Estheticians use and may consist of:
Facial Gua Sha: comes from the ancient TCM practice of 'gua sha'. The esthetician uses a flat stone (usually a form of jade) also referred to as a 'gua sha board' that is grazed over the skin to activate the facial fascia, facial muscles and different skin levels. The benefits may include lymphatic support, drainage of fluid accumulation, a more lifted & toned facial structure, increased blood flow and Qi (life energy) to the skin for a natural glow, and a restorative function within the meridian channel system.
Facial Massage, Facial Sculpting, Buccal Massage: here the esthetician generally uses their hands to massage the face and work within the tissue, fascia and muscles, but a tool (like a gua sha stone) may be used for these purposes as well. Sculpting focuses on working deep within the facial muscle tissue to define and accentuate your natural facial contours while releasing tension in the connective tissues. Buccal Massage is an intra-oral technique where the esthetician performs the massage inside of the mouth to release tension, and stimulate and re-train the muscles for improved elasticity, creating a more 'lifted' look. Facial sculpting and buccal massage require additional training to go beyond standard 'face massage' to work deeper within the tissues and muscles for enhanced results. This type of facial massage along with facial gua sha is additionally very soothing to the nervous system and helps put the body in relaxed 'Rest & Digest' aka parasympathetic mode.
Facial Reflexology and Face Mapping: Reflexology stems from the ancient practice of TCM. The Esthetician or specialist will generally use a pointy tool sometimes referred to as a 'detector' to stimulate certain points on the face that connect to specific organs. This can have an effect on your meridian system, and it can also give clues as to where there may be imbalance within the body. While face mapping, the specialist will simply observe lines, discolorations, blemishes, etc on the skin and adhesions underneath of the skin, and note correlations they have to the body, which is useful in determining a root cause of the skin imbalance being examined.
Cupping: Cupping also stems from TCM. The esthetician will use suction cups on different areas of the face to promote lymphatic drainage, and stimulate blood flow to the face.
Facial Acupuncture: also known as 'cosmetic acupuncture', this involves inserting needles into specific TCM points on the face to encourage blood and Qi flow, as well as collagen and elastin. This must be done by an Acupuncturist who may or may not have additional training in Esthetics.
Dien Chan: based on an interactive Vietnamese system of facial reflexology, the practitioner uses tools and facial meridian points specific to the Dien Chan system along with a little pressure and movement to get insight into your health and energetic imbalances. Stimulation of specific points helps improve both skin imbalances and internal imbalances simultaneously, while the Dien Chan Beauty tools stimulate blood flow in the skin, improve muscle tone, smooth texture and help promote lymphatic drainage.
PEMF: PEMF stands for 'Pulsed electromagnetic field' therapy. This is generally found in a specialized heating mat, or some form of device. PEMF uses electromagnetic fields to create a healing response in the whole body, balances the nervous system, and reduces pain. This technology has a huge impact on the skin from a holistic stand point.
Qi Beauty: an Australian based company that has been gaining popularity all over the world, uses 24k gold-plated micromagnets (or trans-dermal patches) to address skin concerns by creating a 'custom electromagnetic matrix' to generate the 'Qi' (or energy) required for recovery. Placement of these micro-magnets are said to support healthier cell turnover, boost hydration, and increase absorption of products used during treatment.
Sound Healing: an ancient medicinal practice that draws on the power of sound and sound meditation to help heal the skin and reduce stress.
Other treatments are more 'Integrative', which means that they combine both 'holistic' and 'clinical' style approaches. Most Holistic Estheticians will incorporate at least 1-3 of these into their Holistic treatment menu. Integrative Treatments include:
LED Light Therapy: utilizes clinically proven wavelengths of light energy to safely penetrate the skin on a cellular level to enhance your body's ability to generate collagen and elastin by activating the fibroblast cells, treats acne causing bacteria, reduces inflammation and reduces pain.
Oxygen Therapy: purified oxygen can be administered through an oxygen hyperbaric dome and/or an 'oxygen gun' device infused with custom serums to re-energize the skin cells, increase product penetration, reduce inflammation, promote skin intake of nutrients, reduce acne causing bacteria, brighten and improve signs of premature aging
Skin Needling: Microneedling or MicroChanneling (a more evolved version of microneedling) uses a device with very fine surgical needles to create controlled micro-channels in the skin (while infusing nutrients through a serum) to promote the skin's natural healing response in order to generate collagen. Can improve the overall health and resilience of the skin, reduce signs of premature aging, scarring and skin texture imbalances.
Micro-current: uses tiny electrical impulses that mirror the body's natural electrical currents in order to stimulate collagen and elastin, leading to improved tone and firmness in the skin and facial musculature
Clinical style treatments that do NOT have any association to 'holistic' skincare (but may still be used by Holistic Estheticians alongside their Holistic menu) include:
Laser treatments: there are many different types of lasers used in the esthetic industry but the most common use beams of light that vaporize the outer layers of the skin to promote the growth of new collagen fibers
Microdermabrasion: uses a wand (either with a rough surface or the use of crystals) alongside a vortex like suction to abrade the top layer of skin off.
Hydrodermabrasion: similar to microderm, except less abrasive as it uses a smooth tip with the use of water and serums to remove debris from the skin.
Chemical Peels: uses chemicals (like glycolic acid, salicylic acid, trichloroacetic acid, etc) to remove the top layer of the skin.
Dermaplanning: uses a hand held instrument with a single blade to 'skim' off the surface layers of the skin. Generally used to remove vellus hairs and 'dead skin cells'.
Radiofrequency: uses radio frequency energy to heat the skin with the purpose of stimulating collagen and elastin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and loose skin.
Anything else that burns, abrades, or freezes any part of the skin are considered 'clinical' treatments and are targeted toward 'correcting' facial aesthetics. Most holistic estheticians choose not to use them, and some are even concerned about long term effects some of these treatments may have (although this also greatly depends on who you go to). Some people may choose to receive these treatments AND see a separate holistic esthetician to address the health of the skin.
Most facial treatments of all categories generally include the use of high quality skin care products chosen by the esthetician, the use of steam, hot towels, extractions if needed, and sometimes smaller hand held devices like high frequency wands.
So how do 'organic', 'natural', 'clean' skin care products play a roll?
Although it's certainly conducive to eliminate toxic and harsh ingredients to treat your skin, it is actually NOT the main factor in true holistic skincare, as there are a number of other 'non-toxic' ingredients that can harm your skin, or at the very least, do absolutely nothing for your skin. Although topical products DO play a large roll in Holistic Skin Care, relying on them alone, no mater how good they may be, does not address the 'whole picture'.
It's also important to understand that the skincare product industry is NOT heavily regulated by strict standards. This unfortunately means that skin care companies can label their products with terms that are not up to par with the actual formulation. A lot of companies that have picked up on the "clean beauty" trends have created products full of cheap fillers and oils with little effectiveness and they have marketed their products as "clean" and "natural" solely for the purpose of selling and profit. The truth is that many "natural" and "clean" skin care products hardly have any natural ingredients at all. Organic skincare is more regulated, however in order for a product to pass as organic, only 95% of the ingredients need to be certified organic, and 'water' cannot be certified as 'organic' so considering that most products are water-based, the possibility of finding an 100% organic skin care product is more difficult; not to mention that even at 100% organic, many of the ingredients may be cheaply sourced and ineffective for the skin. Even 'medical grade' skincare products are not as regulated as many believe, due to the fact that the term "medical-grade" itself is not regulated.
Ultimately, looking for 'natural' or 'organic' labels is not a solution in treating the skin holistically. This also means that if your specialist uses and recommends 'natural' products without addressing any potential root causes of the skin issue at hand, they are not truly 'holistic'.
So with so much false advertising, what is the solution?
The best way to ensure that you are using healthy and effective skincare products for your skin is to find a trustworthy skin care professional. Although seeing an esthetician in studio for hands on treatment is ideal to get the most of skin care, some Estheticians, including myself, will also offer virtual consultations for those that live far or may be struggling financially and cannot afford in-studio facial treatments.
Seek out an esthetician that understands skin care ingredients AND all of the potential effects they can have on different skin types and conditions. Choose a specialist that can read past the front of the product labels & company marketing, and chooses products based on ingredient quality and transparency, strict and high quality extraction methods (especially with herbs, extracts, oils, etc) which is critical for effectiveness, and skin care company ethics and values. Look for an esthetician that understands that using skin care products alone and neglecting inner wellness will not produce the long term results you desire, who respects the skin enough not to do anything that will create long lasting inflammation and damage underneath of the epidermis (top layer of the skin), and has high standards in choosing which treatments they provide. It is also exceptionally important to choose an esthetician that has legitimate training specific to the treatments they are performing. For example, social media is full of facial gua sha tutorials and many estheticians have picked up on these, and although you can learn a lot of little tips from them (as long as the account is run by a professional), it is not the same as receiving facial gua sha from someone who has training and certification in facial gua sha by a reputable expert.
These standards will ensure that you are receiving the most out of your skin care products and treatments, so that you can skip past all of the 'fluff' commonly seen in beauty marketing.
At my practice, holistic skin care is the foundation. So when it comes to choice in topical products, I like to use fresh small-batch whole-herb skin care products for a balance of potency and gentleness as the foundation, however if needed, I also utilize some clinical based skincare (such as products that contain stem cell cytokines and peptides and certain products with gentle 'actives') that do not contain toxins, harsh or irritating ingredients, or lots of fillers. To get the most results, I look to professional quality skin care products with good product formulations by trustworthy companies, whether they are herbal or clinical. Professional quality products are created to be used by Estheticians that can see through the industry marketing and know their ingredients, although even here there are loopholes so knowledge and due diligence is key.
Tips to Bring Basic Holistic Skin Care Fundamentals into Your Self Care Routine
Some of basic fundamentals in Holistic Skin Care can be utilized easily at home, and some of these things can be started at anytime with or without a professional. Here I will refer back to the Holistic Skin Health Trio.
Skin
Use Skin Care products that are not toxic or full of unnecessary fillers (it is best to consult with a professional for this one and use the guide above). In many cases a more minimal routine goes a long way.
Focus on nourishing your skin barrier with nutrients and minerals opposed to stripping it
Use the power of your hands. Just like the muscles in our body, the muscles in our face benefit from movement and massage as well. Incorporate intentional massage with your hands while applying your skin care or take a few extra minutes to add a facial gua sha ritual (I generally recommend this basic stone to my clients, but if you want something a little bit more serious and fancy, you can use this one). Facial Gua Sha goes best with an oil suitable for your skin type, and I find that gentle, but firm pressure is best. For beginners, you may use a chart (which generally comes with your stone if you don't have a professional to ask at the moment), but make sure to focus on areas that you feel need more attention, and do so with love!
Body
Psyche
An important word on 'Aging' and Beauty Standards
In an industry that's been so heavily focused on 'anti aging', consumers and estheticians alike are starting to become drained from impossible and unrealistic beauty standards. We are finally coming to terms with the fact that: Aging is a part of life's natural cycles. In most Ancient cultures, older woman were highly respected as the 'wise crone' that guided the younger, and a wrinkle was a sign of life well lived; and we are finally starting to connect with this idea again.
However, does this mean we should neglect the signs of aging entirely? I notice some individuals flowing to the opposite extreme. They are "anti-anything-that-has-to-do-with-aging" and they neglect to see that not all people who want to age healthy and have better looking skin are conditioned by unrealistic beauty standards.
I believe that Pratima Raichur, Ayurvedic beauty expert and author of the book "Absolute Beauty" said it best when she pointed out that our desire to be beautiful is primal; it is naturally pleasurable to the senses and sets off neuro-chemical responses that we experience as calm and well-being from infancy. It is also an expression of our soul. Pratima explains that "Our desire for beauty, then, is not just a legacy of woman's conditioned powerlessness, as many have contended. To the contrary, it is an innate impulse and the natural expression of the self empowered by love." Since ancient times, different cultures have found their own ways of decorating and thus celebrating the human form.
Lambert adds, "appearances not only do but should matter" and we needn't apologize for caring about them. It matters just because outward beauty is the expression of the inner self, because it is the barer of identity."
Holistic skin care provides a solution to the difficult balancing act of rejecting modern anti-aging beauty standards and the desire to look and feel good and age as healthy as possible. Holistic skin care specialists recognize the damaging effects that a large part of the modern beauty industry has on us as a society, however we also recognize your natural desire to look and feel 'glowy'. We recognize that the desire for beauty isn't inherently bad or damaging – what's damaging is the fact that it's been stripped of it's essence. We are highly aware that in these modern times, we are bombarded with chemicals, pollutants, free radicals, and processed foods that cause damage and signs pre-mature aging within the skin. We understand that the desire for 'healthy aging' is both attainable and normal, as it makes us feel good from the inside-out, opposed to 'anti-aging' which makes us feel depleted and dissociated. This is not just a play on words, it is something we can really feel.
Face Mapping - The Face is a Map to the Soul
Treatments that are truly focused on 'healthy aging' include holistic modalities that bring 'meaning' back into beauty and make the person feel healthy and radiant both inside and out. Face Mapping, which stems from Ancient practices such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine in particular takes the holistic approach of examining lines, wrinkles, and blemishes on the face, and allowing them to speak to us about what may be going on inside the body and/or psyche. Face Mapping is not a perfect science; at the moment there's no scientific data specific to 'face mapping', however it's been proven in thousands of case studies that it can give little clues into a person's inner wellness. Our face is a map to the soul, and it HAS been scientifically proven that what happens on the inside eventually shows on the outside, especially in our face and neck as it is the most commonly exposed area of our body to the harsh environment. For example, it has been demonstrated that hormonal imbalances can lead to break-outs on the chin and around the mouth, (although there certainly can be other reasons why break outs in this location are occurring). A holistic esthetician understands that there may even be other underlying factors of hormone imbalance such as poor gut and/or liver health, and suggestions will be made accordingly, while the skin barrier is treated topically.
Face Mapping is an incredible tool for helping to identify potential root causes of your skin concerns, opposed to seeing every sign and symptom as nothing but a nuisance to be covered up. It also recognizes which signs of aging are completely normal, and which may be due to underlying or impeding damage in the skin, body or psyche that need to be addressed, helping us to remember that our skin is more than just a physical organ.
So Why & How did I become a Holistic Esthetician?
I'd like to briefly share a little bit about my own journey to give more context into what may drive someone to become holistic (or integrative) in whatever field they are in. The keyword here is 'drive'. Majority of us are truly driven to provide you with result oriented skin care therapies that feel good and address the root cause of any imbalance opposed to selling you on whatever is trendy or can make the most money. Whatever type of Esthetician you choose, I hope you choose one that is genuinely passionate about their work, as this drives them to be integrous and effective. I initially went to school for certification and licensure for Esthetics in 2013 at Bosces in Northport. I was driven to do this because of my own skin issues. I had suffered from acne as a teenager, followed by Rosacea as a young adult. I spent thousands of dollars and saw countless dermatologists with either no results, or worsening skin symptoms. My journey to clear skin started with Google searches on product ingredients after I had learned that product bottles can basically say whatever they want for marketing purposes; most Dermatologists don't specialize in actual skin health; and most of the people that work at Sephora and Ulta know little to nothing about the skin or what's truly in whatever they are being told to sell; and of course most DIY skin care ideas are straight up bogus and created by influencers that know little to nothing about how the skin absorbs ingredients. Just by eliminating products with poor ingredients alone, I noticed a difference in my skin, however it was far from enough. I decided to go to school for Esthetics because this really intrigued me and I felt the drive to help others with their skin as I helped myself. In school, we were still trained 'by the book' and the book is often outdated and lacks information on things like skin health and how to work with specific facial muscles and connective tissue. I started to suffer from Rosacea throughout Esthetics school as my skin barrier was compromised and highly sensitized due to all of the different things I experimented with topically previously, while hyperpigmentation started to show due to overuse of tanning beds in my younger years (yikes, I know). I was always attracted to the more botanical products in school, but little did I know at the time that even most of these were poorly formulated. When I graduated the Esthetics program, I got a job doing facials and laser treatments at a medical spa right away, before going off on my own and opening a small facial studio in my apartment. During this time, my rosacea just flared up randomly (or so I thought). One of the biggest missing factors was that I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle at the time. My liver was stagnated; my body was weighed down with toxins and probably malnourished; and although I had just started to break free from things that hurt me emotionally and mentally, I had a long ways to go - and my body and face still held the tension of it all. My skin was just as reactive as I was emotionally. Little did I know at the time, I also lived in an apartment full of hidden mold and I had (still have) an underlying condition called 'syringomyelia' and rheumatoid arthritis that needed attention and extra care. Not satisfied with any answers or synthetic treatments I was getting, I started to look more into holistic healing. I started by simply reading a few health books and eating healthier and taking certain supplements, although this was only reaching the tip of the iceberg. It wasn't until I gave birth to my daughter 5 and a half years ago that I reached deep, to the bottom of the iceberg. Struggling with chronic health issues while raising my daughter full time gave me the opportunity to slow down and learn. During this time, I took minimal clients. I dived into research and thoroughly studied books upon books on the skin, nutrition, holistic healing and depth psychology, incorporating what I was learning on myself as I went on. As I did this, the Rosacea flare ups became something minimal that happened on a rare occasion; my hyperpigmentation started to fade; my skin became less reactive; my texture started to smooth; and I started having even less breakouts. My search into holistic healing inspired me to want to bring this into my work and I gradually and naturally started incorporating more and more holistic therapies into my facial sessions, becoming stricter with what I brought in along the way. I was driven to find the best and most reliable resources, companies, ingredients and training in what I was interested in. I am still driven in the same way as I continue my education and training consistently. My own journey made me exceedingly passionate about helping others with skin health and I am constantly evolving. I've learned that healing isn't linear, as I still get minor flare ups in my skin sometimes - despite what social media may show, majority of even the best skin care specialists do NOT always have perfectly clear and texture-free skin all the time, and pores exist for a reason. It's not about perfection, but maintaining our healthiest skin. Some of us may have to do a little more to correct damages from the past, and if you have a chronic health condition, your skin may need a little more attention - and no one should be shamed for this.
So when choosing to do skin care, I suggest you look for a Skin Care Therapist with these qualities: integrity, knowledge, the drive to evolve, passion, and empathy.
If you'd like to work me in-studio, or virtually, please fill out a contact form on ninaliviiskincare.com to book a consultation.