Why do I need facials and skincare products when I can just get injections/fillers or surgery?

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With the popularity of medi-spas and dermatologist offices providing injections/fillers, we have forgotten that our skin actually needs to be cared for. These quick fixes are exactly that - quick fixes. It doesn't do anything for the general health of your skin. Our skin is 50% nature and 50% nurture. It is genetically predetermined how we're going to age but it is up to us on how quickly that happens. The point of putting effort into skin care is to slow down the natural aging process. The younger you start, the better, but it's also never too late to start. And not that we're against all these new modern medical skin solutions, but we like to think of it like someone doing any type of body surgery.  If afterwards, you don't keep a healthy diet or exercise, you will go right back to your pre-surgery body very quickly and all of it will have been a waste. Whether or not you decide to go under the knife or get injections, your at home skin care routine and regular facials will either prevent you from having to do it in the first place or prolong your results from those procedures.

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What are Epigenetics?

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Epigenetics is “the study of changes in gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.” This refers to the signals that control and organize DNA without changing the DNA itself. So, put simply, we can’t change our genetic blueprint but we can influence how it gets read through gene signaling.

These epigenetic signals definitely impact the way your skin ages, too. We all know that environmental factors, like diet and lifestyle can influence our skin’s health. But we can also use topical ingredients, like peptides, as well. At HydroPeptide, we do just that by formulating our skincare products with powerful gene signaling ingredients that essentially turn on the healthy skin genes you want and turn off the ones you don’t.

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What are peptides?

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Peptides are tiny protein fragments (or small chains of amino acids) that increase cellular communication within the skin. Peptides help promote natural elements of healthy skin, including collagen production (which helps plump the skin) and neuropeptides which help relax repetitive facial muscle contractions (which softens wrinkles). HydroPeptide uses a wide range of performance-based, clinically tested peptides within our products.

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Why are antioxidants important in skin care?

In the natural aging process, oxidative stress occurs at a rate at which the body or skin is no longer able to fully neutralize free radicals. Free radicals accelerate cellular damage known to cause premature aging. Antioxidants have the ability to pair with an unstable electron and reduce cell death. There are actually six categories of free radicals that attack the skin every day. Unfortunately, one powerful antioxidant alone can’t stand up to all of them, so HydroPeptide products contain a variety of natural and organic antioxidants that provide a broad range of protection to fight all six categories of free radicals.

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Drugstore/department store skin care vs. professional skin care - What's the difference?

 

The science behind and the quality of the ingredients in a drugstore/department store skin care product will most likely be much lower than that of a professional product. If the cost of say a department store product is equivalent to a professional product it would be because you are paying for their much more elaborate advertising rather than what is in the actual product. 

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Nail Lacquer vs. Soak-Off Gel Polish vs. Artificial Nails - What's the difference?

(previously published on our old blog Nov/2016 - updated Aug/2020 for FAQ)

 

Since the introduction of Soak-Off Gel Polish and other new technologies in nail polish, and artificial nails, our customers have never been more confused.  Here's our guide to help clarify a few things.

 

Nail Lacquer is the traditional nail polish we've always known. Some of the most internationally recognized professional brands include O.P.I., Essie, Zoya, SpaRitual, etc. They differ mostly in ingredients. When we talk about the ingredients we refer more to the toxins that have been removed from their formulas rather than ingredients added in. Over the years, companies have removed at least 3 toxins: toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP (dibutyl phthalate). Some have taken it further by becoming either free of 5: toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP (dibutyl phthalate), or free of 7: toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP (dibutyl phthalate), xylene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). The newer, more popular technology for nail lacquer was made popular by CND Vinylux.  It is a hybrid between nail lacquer and soak-off gel polish.  It uses natural light to 'cure' which means it dries faster with similar results to gel polish without having to soak off with acetone. It is meant to last at least 7 days on hands.

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Soak-Off Gel Polish is an odourless gel polish applied on natural nails and cured with a UV or LED light. It can last 2-4 weeks on hands and 4-6 weeks on toes. Removal is by 'soaking off' with acetone. Just about every brand produces a form of soak-off gel polish. Some are better than others. CND Shellac made it popular. This is where everyone gets confused because many think gel polish is simply called Shellac. Our best analogy to explain it is this: CND Shellac is to gel polish like Kleenex is to tissue. Pretty good, right? We generally recommend gel polish. Once it's set, it's set. You don't have to wait around for it to dry, you can dig around your purse or get in your car and put your seat belt on without a worry, and our favourite is when the weather is not co-operating (which is basically 9 months out of the year) because you can put on your socks and shoes if you have it on your toes and walk out the door without anyone ever looking at you strangely again for wearing flip flops in the middle of winter. It's also fantastic for weddings and vacations and is the easiest to do nail art with.

 

Artificial Nails is a product overlay usually with extensions and cured with UV or LED light. There are three main types of artificial nails: Gel, Acrylic, and Dip Powder. Maintenance for artificial nails require a fill of the gap that has grown out over a 2 week period. The whole set is kept on and the gap is filled every 2 weeks. For more about the difference between the types of artificial nails we found a great article to break it down ----> CLICK HERE

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Is soak-off gel polish damaging to my natural nails?

 

Yes and No, it depends on a lot of factors:

1. We believe everyone is different and therefore will react differently to any product. You have to try it to know.

2. Brands matter!  We have tested many of the most popular North American brands and do prefer CND Shellac, Gelish, and IBD Just Gel Polish for easy application, longevity (2-4 weeks) and easy removal, but our absolute favourite is Kasi which we bring in from Asia. It also has easy application and removal but lasts 3-6 weeks! The brand of primer, base, and top coat are equally important as well. There are brands we do find very damaging. You want to avoid brands that give a very thick looking result and requires more than 10 minutes of acetone soak or the use of a drill to remove. 

3. Proper removal procedure is to file the tops and ends to break the seal and then soak with acetone. Avoid places that use drills to remove gel polish. There are 2 reasons places use drills as their regular removal practice - either because of speed and laziness, which means they are willing to risk damaging your natural nails, and/or they carry a brand that is difficult to remove and therefore is damaging to the natural nail.

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What does your owner use to curl her hair and keep the curls? (We get asked this A LOT)

 

She sprays White Sands Liquid Texture Firm Hold all over before curling with a Hot Tools curling iron (1" for shorter hair; 1 1/4" for longer hair) and then finishes with White Sands Infinity Spray.  Click HERE to check out the products.