The Ironically Hard to Understand "Rest Day"
📞 opening the hotline today 📞
Hi there!
On a Sunday full of highs, I got to cross off something major on my bucket list before 1pm. I was backstage at NYFW with Facile giving models mini-facials for the Sandy Liang show!
Today we’re going back to our hotline roots & answering 4 reader questions.
What do you do on your “rest days”?
I get this question all the time and it’s kind of fascinating because you’d think something called a “rest day” would be the easy part to figure out. I think one of the primary reasons why this concept is tricky is because exfoliants and retinoids are easier to identify and have more specific rules about dos and don'ts on the packaging. Brands/products don’t exactly advertise themselves as “rest day” products. From a marketing perspective, this makes sense––rest doesn’t sound very flashy and implies something inactive. So let’s dig into what exactly “rest” even means. What words/ingredients should you be looking for? Can you use the products at other times besides designated rest days? Do you need to have one in your routine at all?
In skincare, an active ingredient is an ingredient targeting a specific concern. We usually think of actives as exfoliants and retinoids, which are stimulating to the skin and have a higher risk of irritation. In most cases, and for the purposes of this conversation, this is true. But…
If something is not active, that doesn’t mean it’s inactive. An ingredient doesn’t need to be potent and possibly irritating for it to be active. Retinoids might be great for targeting the specific concern of aging, but what if the specific concern is dryness or barrier support? Ingredients that work to address those concerns are soothing and reparative, but can still be plenty active. I point this out because it’s important to understand that taking a rest day doesn’t mean your skin isn’t doing anything. The absence of what we consider active ingredients doesn’t mean inactivity. But the distinction is necessary to understand when talking about rest days. Rest days are the days you don’t use active products, but resting can still be extremely productive. Resting gives your skin time to repair, recover, reinforce and strengthen. I’m sure we can all remember a time where we overdid it on the actives and didn’t give our skin the chance to rest. This is also why many people refer to rest days as repair days/nights, which is a bit more accurate. Repairing is active!
In some ways, pretty much anything can be a rest day product or be part of a rest day routine. It just has to be less active/potent than the other days. An easy way to have a rest day is to simply take out your active products and stick with the rest of your routine. Surely the rest of your products still have benefits for your skin! A rest day that still includes using LED is a fabulous way to take a break from the stronger stuff. Or maybe on rest days you use one of your morning products that is otherwise skipped at night. (Which reminds me to point out that rest days usually refer to a nighttime routine, because that is when most people use stronger products.)
Outside of little tweaks to your existing routine, a rest day might incorporate products that calm, strengthen, soothe, repair or support the skin barrier. Those are good words to look for on a product description. You might also use non-retinoid products that can stimulate collagen production, like growth factors or copper peptides.
I’ve used copper peptides for years and they are one of my favorite ingredients. Copper peptides are naturally occurring in the skin and like all good things, our production decreases with age. They’ve been shown to help with tonnnnns of things related to skin health and youthfulness. I primarily use them for wound healing/reducing inflammation (especially from acne), collagen and elastin production and cellular renewal. My favorite copper peptide product is NIOD’s Copper Amino Isolate Lipid, an oily-gel and the counterpart to their thin & watery Copper Amino Isolate Serum. NIOD is a leader in the copper peptide space (and the sister company to The Ordinary!) and has a great explainer of the differences. The lipid is my favorite because of the consistency, but I have used the serum too. It’s just your preference. They’re also blue, which is fun! Allies of Skin also makes a nice copper peptide product with additional ingredients.
I use my copper peptides in conjunction with NIOD’s Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide Mist (SDSM). Say that 10 times fast! Put most simply, it’s an extremely hydrating, calming and antioxidant filled mist. Superoxide Dismutase is one of the most powerful antioxidants in our body! The bottle is also huge. After doing my normal double cleanse, I’ll use my LED mask, spritz SDSM generously and apply CAIL. Sometimes I’ll add moisturizer on top. I do this 1-2 nights a week or if my skin seems irritated.
NIOD specifically says not to use their copper peptide products with retinoids, exfoliating acids or vitamin C, so I try not to, but there is conflicting information about what you can and can’t use with copper peptides in general. It has to do with the formula, so look at what the brand instructs. As they’ve become more popular, some brands have started using encapsulation techniques which makes them easier to use with everything. Here are some other products you might want to incorporate on a rest day, many of which you can also use any other day, too:
Any sort of hydrating mask, overnight mask, juicy oil…
Did you ever wind up finding a purple shampoo or hair mask that you like? How do you use it?
[For context, I asked for recs a few months ago]
Yes, this one from R+Co. Bleu! It’s on the pricier end for a hair mask, but I only use it about twice a month, so I think it will last me the whole year. (Plus, my Dermstore code below works to save 15%.) Purple hair products help to neutralize brassy tones in blonde hair. Since purple is opposite yellow on the color wheel, the purple pigment helps tone down the yellow, making hair brighter and cooler-toned. Similarly, blue-shampoo is used to neutralize orange or red undertones in brown hair. You can find these products in shampoo, conditioner or mask form. I like masks because I want to leave it on for at least a few minutes anyway, so might as well get a little extra deep condition in there.
Jolie! I'd religiously been using retinol on my neck and then heard that it's terrible to do that because the neck skin is too thin (?!) and we should actually be using thick creams instead. Tell us the real deal! Thank you so much. Absolutely obsessed with your letter.
Absolutely obsessed with you! What if I told you that the real deal is that it’s actually for that reason––that the neck skin is thin––that using retinol on your neck can be a fabulous idea?! But not just any kind. You specified retinol here, which remember is a type of retinoid.
The skin on the neck is thinner than the face, so it is more fragile and easy to irritate (click here for a skin anatomy refresher). A strong retinoid, like prescription Tretinoin would probably be too much for the neck, but a less irritating retinoid could help immensely by thickening the skin and increasing collagen and elastin. You can think of collagen and elastin as the scaffolding, which tightens, firms, smooths & helps your neck in the fight against gravity. Start with something extra gentle to be safe and you can work your way up as needed/tolerated. If your face and neck tolerate the same retinoid, go for it! The neck also has fewer sebaceous glands, so it gets drier and more easily crepe-y looking. That’s why a thick cream would also be beneficial for the neck. I’d opt to use both for maximum results! Or try a retinoid moisturizer.
Some retinoids to try on your neck: Stratia Night Shift, Naturium Retinol Complex Cream, Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1 or 3.
Is drinking a glass of wine with dinner really that bad for my skin?
Alcohol is toxic, so no alcohol is good, but that’s not the whole picture. The sun is always going to be a toxic carcinogen, so it’s never a good idea to leave your skin unprotected and yet. For both things, it’s the cumulative risk that matters and that I’m concerned about. Multiple drinks, not drinking water, staying up late, eating sugary/fried foods, skipping your skincare routine…all the things that can be associated with drinking and can add up to bad news. I was actually recently interviewed by Jenn Sullivan (aka @ jenn_edit, the legendary beauty journalist and co-host of Fat Mascara) for The Cut about the effects of alcohol on the skin, so check that out for a more thorough investigation.
Take A Rec/Leave A Rec
Have a rec or need a rec for an aesthetic provider? Tell us in the chat!
From coast to coast, there are lots of recs and requests for subtle Botox.
I want this to be an ongoing resource for subscribers and I’ll figure out a handy place for the link to live. [This will be a crowdsourced list and should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement from me, but obviously I will share recs if I have them.]
Office Hours Reminder
Join us for Office Hours on Sunday! This exclusive weekly opportunity is available to paying subscribers.
Every Sunday at 5pm EST, I’ll begin a new thread for the week in Substack Chat, where you can ask me anything. Every Monday from 5-6pm EST, I’ll be in that chat live, answering questions for the hour. That way, if you can’t make it, you can submit any time after 5pm Sunday and still get an answer. If you can make it live, join in! You can ask questions in real time and (hopefully) interact with others in class ;)
Discount Codes
CurrentBody: JOLIECB for 10% off
Dermstore: JOLIE for 15% off (works on Furtuna, R+Co and more!)
Experiment: JOLIE10 for 10% off
Naturium: JOLDEF15 for 15% off
you can find all of my discount codes here
Have a great week!
xx,
Jolie
Screamed when I saw you in the Facile content at the Sandy Liang show!! So amazing!!