Crafting Your Functional Skin Care Regimen

Beautiful, healthy skin thrives with both a daily hygienic plan and the unique benefits that special occasions provide.

Pay attention to the little things: the methods, techniques, and timing can impact the skin as much as the products and tools. Make it special and take a moment to understand why you are doing it this way–why it matters–and do it well. This will not take up a lot of time, in fact we hope that with having the proper Regimen and learning these simple Rituals, you will have plenty of time to stop thinking about on “working on” your skin so that you may spend more time living your life!

Between You & The Moon Principles

Meet Your Skin Where It is at and “Nudge” It Back to Center

At Brooklyn Herborium, we don’t consider labeling the skin as a “type” to be necessary because we are not trying to change what the skin does naturally or control its processes. Instead, we use the symptoms to uncover imbalances in a person’s topical skin care or self-care habits. We don’t ask “is it oily or dry?” We ask, “Is it functional or dysfunctional?” And when it is not performing all of its functions well, we ask, “Is the skin getting all of its needs met in order to be healthy and vibrant, or is it lacking key components of necessary care?”

Start from Where You Are and Identify Where You Want to Go

Our method offers four pathways that can be intermingled to complete your regimen and provide pertinent rituals. We have named them to help you identify which products will provide the quickest, most direct journey to topical equanimity (good skin function), though all paths—with adequate self-care and enough time—lead there.

Your Guides Along the Way

Pore Refining for Smoother Skin

The Pore Refining Pathway supports the Lubrication and Hydration Function (oil/water balance and barrier) and is great when you experience dehydration, blackheads, milia or irritation related to barrier issues in addition to those times when you just want a little pep.

Sense & Sensitivity for Calmer Skin

The Sense & Sensitivity Pathway supports the Cellular Communication Function (immune response) and is loved by those who experience re-activity and inflammation due to immune or auto-immune response in addition to those who are simply looking for a lovely sensory experience.

Clear Complexion for Clearer Skin

The Clear Complexion Pathway supports the Elimination Function and greatly benefits those who are going through a period where the body is using the skin as an organ of elimination, resulting in stress bumps and pimples.

Integrity for Stronger, More Resilient Skin

The Integrity pathway supports how the skin acts as the body’s first line of defense (physical structure of the skin and its symbiotic biome) is helpful when the skin needs to rebuild in a strong, yet flexible way, preventing environmental damage, scars, and chronic infection.

Direction Is More Important Than Speed

Don’t fret if you have more than one (or all 4) pathways on your wishlist-just take the first step and choose one. Start with adding the Mineral Mist if you tend towards reactivity…start with an Oil Cleansing Ritual once a week if you are seriously congested…major stress bumps? Clear Complexion Clay. The most important part is that you are moving towards a place where your regimen is getting your needs met—and ALL of the pathways do that within the complete Between You & The Moon Regimen.

The Road Less Traveled

If you are using controlling products, introduce these nourishing products and holistic techniques before slowly tapering off. Truly beautiful skin is not simply “under control,” but strong and vibrant. When we provide for its basic needs, our skin does all the work from the inside out. As our first line of defense, it is crucial for our wellbeing that our skin has this agency.

If you have been making your own skincare products with raw ingredients or have been using straight-up oils on your skin for a period of time and your skin is currently overly-dry and irritated, you may be in a dysfunctional feedback-loop and need extra guidance getting back into balance. If this sounds like you, we recommend that you book an appointment to consult with one of our Holistic Skin Care Specialists who are well-versed in helping newbies (and prodigal clients) find their way. This is such a unique path for everyone that it must be assessed individually.

A Functional Regimen

Regimen tells you WHEN to do it, Ritual tells you HOW

At Brooklyn Herborium, we take our cues from Mother Nature and use the Natural Calendar as a way to keep track of when specific rituals are appropriate.

Our regimen is simple and economical-giving the skin the resources and messages necessary for optimal vibrancy and then taking a step back and allowing your body the agency to care for itself. When certain requirements are met, the body knows how to be beautiful and you don’t need to do much else.

Following The Sun Cycle, The Moon Cycle, & The Earth Cycle

The Sun Cycle is the pattern created by the rotation of the earth which gives us our days and nights. The sun cycle guides the daily rhythm.

The Moon Cycle is created by the movement of the Moon around the Earth. It is what creates the waxing and waning phases of the moon as well as the appearance of the New Moon or the Full Moon. Our regimen for weekly and monthly rituals follow the Moon Cycle. These are the rituals and practices that are not appropriate for every day, but can be beneficial when used judiciously and at the right times. These are your intelligent intermittent practices.

The Earth Cycle is created by the movement of the earth around the sun and the tilt of its axis. It is what gives us the seasons that create the year. Within our regimen, this earth cycle allows for both transitional practices as well as special occasions, such as “holidays.”

The Sun Cycle: Your Daily Regimen

Your daily regimen supports overall skin function

Similar to what we recommend for self-care, it is the nourishment, loving limitations (things like abstaining from known toxins), cleansing, and room for rest that we provide our skin with daily that allows for proper functioning and the building-up/breaking down process that continually occurs in vibrant skin.

The Sun Cycle Morning Regimen

Facial Bathing: When you wake, flush the skin with water to release metabolic waste. Pure water or an Herbal Infusion can be made into a facial bath in your sink, a vessel, or your own palms. Let your face sit in the water for a few moments and then splash the skin, alternating warm and cool water for a refreshing cleanse. No cleansing agents are necessary.

Moisture Duo: Typical moisturizers (lotions or creams) are simply oil and water with an emulsifier and preservative. When we keep the oil and water separate until we emulsify them immediately before application, we don’t need those elements. Together, our Nourish & Replenish Oils and Mineral Mists support the skin’s natural processes by supplying nourishment for healthy cell growth while strengthening structural integrity and providing much-needed transdermal mineral absorption for good cellular communication. To use, drip 3 drops of Nourish & Replenish oil into the palm of your hand and spray 5 pumps of your Mineral Mist directly into the oil. Nourish & Replenish is best for finding and maintaining optimal functionality, but NO EVIL, Cow Fart Juice, or Seeds of Change can be used as a transitional oil in the Moisture Duo for a short time before finding equanimity at Nourish & Replenish.

The Sun Cycle Evening Regimen

Rotate your cleansing rituals and allow for renewal

We have found rotating our evening cleansing rituals of Oil Cleansing, Grain and Herbal Cleansing, and Clay Masks to be more effective than using one type of cleanser all the time.

The optimal frequency of each individual cleansing methods is:

Oil Cleanse 3 times a week
Sow Your Wild Oats or Integrity Biome Mask 3 times a week
Clay Mask once a week

Oil Cleansing: Oil, when used as a cleanser in an evening ritual, can reduce congestion (such as blackheads) and improve the skin’s natural oil/water balance. It is by far our favorite way to gently pull hardened debris and old, oxidized oil from the pores. It is very important to use a steamy washcloth, pressed into the skin and then wiped away, to remove the oil each time you oil cleanse. Do not moisturize after an Oil Cleansing Ritual.

More oil cleansing (usually with NO EVIL) is appropriate for anyone who experiences congestion due to dehydration (such as blackheads or milia) but is not as beneficial for those who experience stagnation unless you are wearing sunscreen or makeup.
If there are large areas of breakout, hardened scabs, or skin that is not healing well, use Cow Fart Juice for oil cleansing for 4-16 weeks or until the skin has healed. Then use it periodically during times of stress or if you crave the smell.

Seeds of Change can be truly transformational over hardened skin that may have wrinkles, dark spots, or old scars, when used intermittently. Add it to your Seasonal Regimen or use like a special occasion product. A one-time use gives a little boost–but the real results come from giving the skin a little nudge and are revealed in the recovery.

Herbal & Grain Cleansing: For best results, use very hot water to mix these plant-based cleansers and let cool to an appropriate temperature before applying to the skin. For the sake of time, you may mix with warm water in the palm of your hands.

Our Organic Grain Cleanser, Sow Your Wild Oats (SYWO), combines colloidal preparations of oats, legumes, milk and herbs to form a gentle, cleansing and exfoliating facial wash. It relies on both the physical nature as well as the actions of the plant matter to gently remove layers of dead skin and intra-cellular debris, help your skin improve its ability to function as an organ of elimination, and encourage the skin to rebuild with more resilience.

The Integrity Biome Mask is not about exfoliation, but about strengthening the terrain, making room for better re-foliation, and lovingly nourishing the “life” of our depleted personal eco-system.

Hardened, Uneven Skin and Glycation For a dramatic transformation, you may up your usage of Sow Your Wild Oats for a short period of time.

Reactive Skin may not be able to handle Sow Your Wild Oats more than once a week. After about 6 weeks of using your Mineral Mist (along with the proper self-care), see if you can bring it in more often. If you are still reactive, go back to once a week and use the Integrity Biome Mask instead. We offer an Integrative Therapy to reduce Redness and Reactivity as well as an Integrative Therapy For Barrier Repair to help support you in this.

If you are in need of barrier repair (and are sensitive and reactive because of it), use the Integrity Biome Mask in an Herbal Cleansing Ritual 3-4 times a week until your skin rebuilds its barrier and balances its pH so that the biome finds its symbiosis. With proper self-care this is about 16 weeks-we offer an integrative therapy for Barrier Repair to support you in this.

When traveling, or during a change of seasons, use the Integrity Biome Mask to help your skin acclimate to the change of climate and provide what it needs for integrity and resiliency.

Mineral Mist Ritual for Renewal: We try to avoid “doing the work” of renewal for the body. Instead, after cleansing in the evening, we recommend spraying 5-6 pumps of your Mineral Mist onto the face to supply it with the messages and minerals it will utilize for good cellular communication, quieting your mind-perhaps with one of Massage Techniques (you can learn them at our workshops or from one of our Holistic Skin Care Specialists) and drifting off to sleep on a silk pillowcase, allowing the skin to do the work for itself.

The Moon Cycle: Weekly & Monthly Rituals

Choose your Moon Cycle Rituals to improve how the skin is functioning

The added benefit of having specific weekly rituals greatly improves the results of your daily care! These rituals are like a festival or traditional holy day and not necessary as part of daily care. They provide us with the care that we need on a consistent, but not constant time frame. Although they can (and should) be done regularly at home, it can be both lovely and beneficial to make professional facials part of your monthly or seasonal regimen.

Perfection Clay Masks: Clay has traditionally been used to DRAW out (not dry out) impurities through the processes of adsorption and absorption. As good as gold, the Earth’s silica, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, zinc and other minerals bind with metabolic and environmental toxins that other types of cleansing just don’t address. The bond they form is called an Ionic Bond, and we refer to the type of cleansing that our masks provide as ionic cleansing.

In addition to this special housekeeping duty, our clay mixes (Perfection Clay Masks) are formulated to support specific skin functions. Various herbs and sea “weeds” as well as traditional elemental medicines (zinc, charcoal, etc) are essential to hydration, maintaining an intact structural barrier, energizing the cells, and increasing intra-cellular communication.

• Oil cleansing (and taking the oil off) before a Perfection Clay Mask makes it more intense.

• Applying oil UNDER the clay mask increases the efficacy and action of the oil and reduces potential irritation of clay on sensitive skin.

• The action of a Perfection Clay Mask reaches a its peak just before it dries, so it is important to keep the mask slightly moist by dabbing with water, covering with a wet towel, or misting with a spray bottle. Allowing any clay mask to dry out could nullify the good work it is doing by irritating the skin.

Herbal Steaming: Steam cleaning weekly or monthly with the Herbal Facial Steamer does wonders for dehydrated skin, manages the microbiome, and is the most effective way to release and prevent congestion such as blackheads and milia.

Our Herbal Steamer, in conjunction with your Oil Cleansing Ritual, is useful when there is congestion due to dehydration (blackheads and milia). Apply 6-8 drops of NO EVIL, Nourish & Replenish, Cow Fart Juice or Seeds of Change before you steam. Make a tent over your head with a towel and massage impacted skin with your fingertips. Used in this way, it is an intensive oil cleansing–so, be sure to remove the oil once you are done.
Our Herbal Steamer can be used without oil to manage the topical biome or for stagnation (symptoms that may benefit from Herbal Steamer without oil include itchy irritations, little red bumps, and pus).
After the water you have steeped the herbs in has cooled sufficiently, you can dip a Facial Compression Towel in it and and press it against your skin for an herbal compression.
Instead of The Between You & The Moon Herbal Steamer, you may use one of our Herbal Infusion Teas (such as Stress Bump Tea) in your Steaming Ritual.
Take care, boiling water and steam can burn you.

The Earth Cycle: Seasonal & Special Occasion Regimen

Choose your Earth Cycle Rituals to maintain radiance throughout every season of your life

Between You & The Moon Principle: The skin thrives on the consistency of your daily regimen and when it is nourished and functioning well, it responds to small amounts of stress in your weekly rituals in a positive way. The key is to make it “slightly nervous, slightly excited.”

Seeds of Change Seasonal Ritual: Each season, you may switch to Seeds of Change in both your AM Moisture Duo Ritual and your PM Oil Cleansing Ritual for up to three weeks. This is an excellent way to trigger your body’s Antioxidant Response Element (ARE) giving it the signal to perform a massive clean-up and repair. (Our Advanced Product Vita-C 10 Day Treatment works in a similar way. Please choose one or the other per season–not both!)

Your Seasonal Massage Ritual: Anyone with well nourished, functioning skin can learn our Massage Method for Maintaining Radiance at Every Age during a service or at one of our workshops and utilize this technique on a Monthly to Seasonal Schedule to encourage clean-up of stagnation and to unlock the body’s infinite healing potential.

Special Occasions

Save your fancy products that peel, lift, brighten, or otherwise “do something” for special occasions

Pumpkin Peel can be used one to two weeks before you want to look your finest at your Fall Harvest Celebration (and maybe again at The Winter Solstice and again before Imbolc) This could mean four to six times between the end of summer and beginning of spring.
Rose Renewal Mask is best used one week before your moist weather event (prom, graduation, a reunion, a wedding) to enhance your already joyful glow. This could mean four to six times between the end of winter and beginning of autumn. Limit your direct sun exposure and use a physical blocker such as a hat as part of your sun protection plan.
Magic Potion Lotion under your make-up (or instead of make-up!) before something special. If you have sensitized skin, try this out at least once before the big night. Depending on your needs, Magic Potion Lotion may be used a couple times a week or a couple times a month.

These types of products are part of our Advanced Skin Care Line and are best used on an “as needed” schedule. More often than recommended can lead to irritation and (in the case of “boosting” products) eventually make it stop doing that amazing thing it once did because your body got too used to it…and then it was no longer a special boost but a controlling relationship…

Addendum: Our Functional Skin Care Line requires you to mix the products appropriately in order for you to get the full results.

The Between You & The Moon Functional Skin Care Line is uniquely formulated to provide all of your skin’s topical needs without the use of any artificial chemicals or preservatives. In order to do this, the products must to used together in the manner we recommend. They are not intended to be a “mist as toner + oil as moisturizer” nor have they ever been. If you don’t want to follow the process of mixing them together, we offer our Supportive Skincare Methods fully prepared as our Advanced Skin Care Line.