Skincare! With Ashley Morgan

You are in for a treat today! My beautiful friend, Ashley Morgan, gives us the lowdown on how to better care for our skin from making at home sprays and masks, to knowing which ingredients to search for in products (and so much more). I met Ashley years ago at the Standard Hotel in NYC and was immediately drawn to her. Beyond her calming nature, gorgeous style, and confidence - I immediately noticed her glowing skin! I was dying to know how she’s taken such good care of it because I have personally struggled with acne on and off since I was a teen.

Helen: Let’s start with the basics! How would you describe skincare?

Ashley: Skincare is the range of practices that support skin integrity, enhance its appearance, and relieve skin conditions. 

Helen: When did you start to develop a skincare routine and how did that come about?

Ashley: I actually didn’t start a real routine until I was about 24. My skin looked pretty clear growing up.  Before that, I would start with something consistent for a week and then stop. I was into skincare but not so much following a routine. I began to take it seriously once I got a bout of acne and it left a bunch of blemishes and dark spots on my face. I was like okay, I need to get serious about this. So I learned as much about skincare as I could. 

Helen: Do you think nutrition has a lot to do with glowing skin?

Ashley: Nutrition absolutely has a lot to do with glowing skin. Topical treatments can only go so far most of the time if you don’t have a healthy nutritious diet with good proteins (whether meat or plant-based) and veggies. If you have clear skin but eat like crap, you may not have that glow. Supplements are a big boost as well. I love taking evening primrose oil pills for multiple health benefits, and it helps regulate sebum production and can treat and prevent breakouts.

Helen: What are the essential steps in a good skincare routine?

Ashley: Cleansing and moisturizing your skin are essential steps in a good skincare routine, even if you don’t do anything else.

Helen: What are some good ingredients that we should look for in a product?

Ashley: In cleansers, you definitely want products that are not harsh and are hypoallergenic. For moisturizers, I’d say get a little creative with it and pick products with ceramide in them, which locks moisture into your skin or even niacinamide which is a form of vitamin B3 that has anti-inflammatory properties that can help with acne and texture. Those are two main ingredients I’d look for in a moisturizer. Lastly, one cannot forget their sunscreen! The higher the SPF the better. I’d go for a moisturizer with SPF already in it, and wear it on the daily, rain or shine. 

Helen: How often should we be exfoliating and how should we do it?

Ashley: I think that all depends on a person’s goal for their skin and how strong the exfoliant is. I am a big supporter of chemical exfoliants as they can be gentler on the skin. Starting off 2-3 times a week with chemical exfoliating is good, and over time you can work your way up to doing it daily depending on the exfoliant. For scrubs, I would limit it to 1-2 times a week. For example, lots of people use retinol to even texture and diminish/ rid wrinkles, and someone can put that on every night before bed once their skin has built up a tolerance to it. AHAs can be used 2-3 times a week and even products like Stridex pads which have BHAs in them are gentle enough to use everyday before bedtime. 

Helen: Thoughts on wearing sunscreen daily? And for people with more melanin - is it just as important to wear sunscreen?

Ashley: I think every single person who has access to sunscreen should be using it every day until they die, no exceptions. Sunscreen drastically decreases your risk of developing skin cancer, it keeps you looking extremely young, and it protects you from more than just sunburn: with drinking water, it helps lower the chances of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. For darker skin tones, sunscreen contributes to an even skin tone. Lots of people with darker skin tones deal with hyper-pigmentation and discoloration so sunscreen is your bestie.   

Helen: Is there any kind of skincare product that you make at home (like a mask or scrub)? How can we make it too?

Ashley: I love masks so I’m always whipping up something creative in the bathroom. One of my favorite masks is my licorice french green clay mask. I buy licorice root tea from the grocery store, boil it and let it cool down. Then I take the tea and use it as the liquid to mix the french green clay into a creamy paste. I love french green clay by Mountain Rose Herbs. I also love herbal waters as a midst on my face throughout the day. One that I like to make is with dandelion flower tea, witch hazel, and a drop of lavender essential oil. It smells so good and is healthy for the skin.  

Helen: What else do you think is vital for having gorgeous, glowing skin?

Ashley: As simple as this sounds, a routine is the biggest part of having gorgeous glowing skin. Even if you splashed only water on your face in the morning and at night, if it’s a routine and you never had one, your skin will improve. Washing your face with a mild cleanser, then coupled with retinol, BHA, or AHA, and finally with moisturizer is vital to amazing skin. Lastly please guys, never forget to apply sunscreen every day for the rest of your life. And feeling good about yourself and being happy will give you glowing skin, too.

Helen: What are your favorite products/brands right now?

Ashley: Right now, I’m really loving the Pumpkin Vitamin Mask by Ayele & Co. They are a small owned business and they make great products. The Pumpkin Vitamin Mask has pumpkin enzymes as an effective exfoliant that is much gentler than other methods like scrubs. Even though I live in a hot climate right now, I also love sealing my face after moisturizer at night with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. Petroleum Jelly does not have a PH so it's not infusing your skin with anything. I wake up in the morning with super hydrated skin. 

Helen: What else should we know about skincare?

Ashley: Skincare is not a ‘one size fits all’ and there can be trial and error in finding the right products and routine for your specific skin needs. Also, your skincare needs can change over time. Try not to let so many brands and products overwhelm and intimidate you. If in doubt, start with a simple cleanse and moisturizer and go from there. 

Helen: What changes do you hope to see in the beauty/skincare industry?

Ashley: I would like to continue to see small independent brands making a mark in the beauty/skincare industry and thriving as ‘mom and pop’ types of businesses… and not just be a temporary flux in the industry. I’d like to see more black-owned brands in the limelight and not just “in the meantime”. Black and other minority-owned brands are becoming a highlight on social media, but I’d like to see more of them in pharmacies and department stores everywhere.

I’d like to see big pharma companies having less and less of a hold on the dictatorship in skincare and beauty.  I’d like to see more Inclusivity in the sunscreen market. I’m tired of mineral sunscreen not being aesthetically pleasing for tan, brown, and dark skin. No one wants a white cast on their face and body. I’d also like to see more health-conscious products that don't harm the oceans and reefs such as some sunscreens and plastic packaging. 

Follow along with Ash on IG @ashleytlife + @epidermallove_ . I am literally about to go pick up the ingredients for the spray she recommended making! Sending love to you all and a big thank you to Ashley for sharing all of this amazing knowledge with us. Xx

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