The Little Book of Skin Care Quotes

“I'm a big believer that there is only one person who will motivate you to do things that require discipline: you.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“You can’t respect your skin but trash your body and still expect to look radiant.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“Going to bed without washing your face can lead to congested pores and acne breakouts. Makeup, sebum (an oily, waxy substance that is secreted by your sebaceous glands to protect the skin), and environmental impurities like pollution can settle into your pores, making them appear larger and causing blackheads (though they’re dark in color, blackheads aren’t actually trapped dirt, but a mixture of dead skin cells and sebum that oxidizes and darkens when it’s exposed to air). Add a little bit of bacteria to this face sludge, and you get inflammation and an infection—a good old-fashioned zit. #sokosecret:”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“Physical sunscreen (also known as mineral sunscreen) sits on the skin like armor and forms a barrier between the sun and your skin to keep rays from penetrating. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are classic mineral sunscreen ingredients. Remember back in the day when lifeguards had that patch of white on their noses? That was mineral sunscreen, so it’s been around for a long time. The plus side of mineral-based sunscreens is that they’re gentle on the skin (and won’t irritate conditions like rosacea, which can be supersensitive to both the sun and sunscreen) and they work immediately upon application. With technological advances such as nanotechnology, many sunscreens are now formulated to be lightweight, blendable, and nongreasy, so your nose won’t look like a lifeguard’s. A chemical sunscreen (also known as synthetic sunscreen) filters the radiation by absorbing it and then transforming it into heat energy. Because it’s a chemical process, you should give it about fifteen minutes after application for it to soak in and work effectively.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“UV spells disaster for your skin, and it’s been deemed a human carcinogen (the term given to any substance or radiation that is cancer causing) because it causes damage to the skin’s cellular DNA.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“And if you neglect your sun care, twenty to thirty years down the line you’ll regret that you didn’t plant a few dozen acres of soybeans and red beans. Your regret might even be written right across your face—in the form of age spots, wrinkles, and sagging skin.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“But even if you’re not expecting immediate gratification, sunscreen is a product that will truly test your patience. Its purpose is to protect your skin, not improve it, and I think that’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to keep up with. Use it day in and day out, and you’re not going to look better, just the same. But just think about that: If you can keep your skin looking pretty much the same, and minimize its damage and deterioration, that’s no small feat over time.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“I’ve used a wide variety of toners and I’ve learned to shy away from ones that are astringents, the term for formulas that contain a high percentage of witch hazel or alcohol. If you have oily skin you may actually enjoy the feeling of your skin being degreased, but don’t fall into that trap. Alcohol inhibits the skin’s ability to repair itself and even triggers more inflammation and acne.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“Picture your skin as a dried-up sponge. If you try to put a heavy cream on it, a brittle, dry sponge won’t accept it—it isn’t “prepped” for moisture. But if you wet the sponge, the cream will sink in more easily. That’s exactly why toners are a great addition to your skin-care routine.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“On the flip side, a cleanser that is too acidic won’t do much, because you actually need a slight alkalinity to properly dissolve dirt and be effective in cleansing.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“Cleansers that are too alkaline overdry your skin, stripping it of its essential oils and natural moisture. Not only can this cause dryness and irritation, but it can also make your oil glands try to overcorrect by producing too much oil. So not what you wanted, right?”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“Understanding pH can be a bit complicated, but once you’ve got a handle on it, finding a cleanser with the right pH for you is easy. pH ranges from 0 to 14, and this number indicates a substance’s ratio of acidity and alkalinity, with 0 the most acidic, 14 the most alkaline, and 7 neutral. In its healthiest state, your skin is slightly acidic, usually 5.5. If your skin is too acidic, it can be irritated, prone to breakouts, and very oily. If your skin is too alkaline, it can look dull, feel extremely dry, and become flaky. Balance is key here.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“When you massage your face, you want to work with the direction of the muscles, not against it. Starting just underneath your cheekbones, use the knuckles of your first two fingers (with your hands in fists) and work out and slightly up from there. Press as firmly as what feels good to you, since the oil will keep the pressure from pulling your skin. Then, still using your knuckles, trace them up the sides of your nose to the top of your forehead, then down along the perimeter of your face. Finally, use the pads of your fingers to lightly massage under your eyes, as this can help drain puffiness. Start at the bridge of your nose and move out to your temples.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin

“Four weeks after landing in Korea, I had my own humidifier at my desk, and instead of looking forward to a glass of wine after work, I found myself genuinely excited about going home and washing my face.”
― Charlotte Cho, The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin