Well Groomed | Ada Ooi
Ada Ooi is the founder of 001 Skincare and facialist to stars such a Rooney Mara & Ellie Golding. Having grown up in Hong Kong, Ada uses her award-winning line of natural skincare combined with traditional Chinese facial massage techniques to formulate a facial treatment sought after by celebrities and royals alike. Read on to discover Ada’s skin secrets, from breakout busters to rosacea remedies.
Before you read on WELL CURATED explain why we fell in love in with Ada.
During the coronavirus lockdown we were sent the 001 Skincare CRYOpress to attempt a facial at home. The result took us by surprise; soothed, sculpted red carpet-worthy skin after just one use!
Here is the science…
When CRYOpress is in contact with skin, cold receptors are stimulated and blood is sent to the epidermis to compensate, increasing circulation in the area. The continuous rolling motions also boost circulation, this double act comes to fruition by delivering more oxygen & nutrients to the skin’s surface, encouraging new cell growth while flushing toxins and impurities away from the skin.
Ada, you grew up in Hong Kong, which elements of Asian skincare and apothecary should we be paying closer attention to?
I grew up with the concept that the skin is a reflection of our internal wellbeing. So when we look at skincare, it's not only about topical applications of products, it's also about the physical and emotional wellbeing. For example, an acute acne condition can be caused by pollution we're exposed to, or internal hormonal fluctuation, or an Indian meal with spicy curry and deep fried food.
"To Treat from Within" is my philosophy and the foundation of it lies with good blood circulation of blood and qi. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of qi has two main branches. There is the physical or nourishing portion of qi that makes up the air, water, and food that we take in. The other branch of qi is the vital fluids and the energy itself that flows through our bodies. By incorporating massage and the right skincare devices or tools we can enhance blood circulation around the face, more blood means more oxygen and nutrient delivery, and increased drainage of excess fluids and toxins.
When you launched your product line, 001 Skincare, was there a product you were particularly excited about, that we couldn't find anywhere else?
The Pure Active Peel. Years ago I was on the hunt for an exfoliating product that doesn't dry the skin out when my clients use it at home, and can also deliver immediate results in a professional treatment setting. My brief for our chemist was "reveal baby bottom skin". We did it. It's a 3-stage gentle natural peel that contains Muscovado sugar with a high acid value, pineapple enzyme, Chinese peppermint and a special blend of plant oils. You will use it like a scrub to start with, with dry hands on a dry face, then dip your fingers in water and massage into skin. The encapsulated oil will be activated and melted with the sugar, and as the oil attracts oil, stubborn sebum from the pores will be drawn to the surface. Finally you can either rinse or wipe it off. The oil base makes this peel super moisturising and skin is left with a translucent glow, that is so soft to touch, like a “baby’s bottom".
Oils can sometimes aggravate skin concerns, should we be avoiding essential/plant oils in favour of more complex skincare?
When the coconut oil trend kicked in, to be honest I was horrified to see people (including my customers) ditching their skincare cabinet and cleanse, moisturise and massage with only coconut oil. I find coconut oil a difficult one to use on the face on its own given it being highly comedogenic, and let's not forget that although coconut oil gives a thick, dense, moisturising feel, it is only oil and our skin is made of water and oil. So the skin is missing water as a big component for moisture. In short, it takes some knowledge in cosmetic science to incorporate coconut oil in its more refined forms in formulations.
Nonetheless, I am a big fan of natural oils as you'll be able to see from my range, and I treat acne with oils! Different oils have different molecular sizes, different fatty acids in them, and they perform in different ways. Watermelon oil has a special component, a high level of Linoleic acid (aka Vitamin F), it's rich in omega 6 and is able to balance out the excessive oleic acid in acne prone skin and irregular sebum secretion.
Could you give us your tips for treating these common skin concerns?
Breakouts
Assess your lifestyle for stress and hormonal fluctuation, diets that are spicy or contain excessive heat are all able to contribute to breakouts. Unlike teenagers, as I've mentioned, treating acne with non drying products tends to work better with more mature skin as in general skin moisture level drops as we age. You can either massage the acne spots with light face oils to soften and promote its metabolism, or apply dots of AHA/BHA on each acne spot but the whole area of skin needs to be kept hydrated. Don't give your brain a wrong signal that your skin is dry and it then secretes even more sebum which can cause a vicious cycle.
Age spots and melasma
No doubt that the external factor of age spots is UV so sunscreen is a must. Internal factors can be a liver system that's been stressed or slightly confused. In TCM, a lot of our emotions are stored and processed in the liver, our hormonal fluctuations affect our liver too, while the liver also detoxifies physical toxins, healing the liver takes a positive mindset, eating liver nourishing food like black sesame, goji berries and dark green vegetables.
Topical application of non-medical skin care products with ingredients like Alpha-Arbutin can help lighten the colour of age spots, and also prevent further hyperactive melanin activities. Not to mention you should also keep skin hydrated all the time. Should you wish to get rid of the age spots, you will need to consider laser treatments that aim at breaking down the melanin from the root. Although the down time of the laser treatments are minimal, I must say that you are married to your sunscreen for the next year or so after the treatments. (I don't find it a problem since I've been married to Mr SPF 50 since I was 12).
Split capillaries
Skin with split capillaries can be relatively more fragile and prone to sensitivity, I'd suggest using skincare with milder formulas, i.e. no high dose vitamin c, or high dose acids. But that doesn't stop one from gaining all the benefits from other super activities like peptides, hyaluronic acids, squalane, fatty acids etc. To see real improvement targeted to the split capillaries, you should consult a doctor for broken capillaries treatment.
Dark circles
Dark circles are formed by stagnated blood between the eye corner and the nose bridge and the hollow gap between the orbital bone and the eyeballs. To improve the symptom, it's massage, massage, massage. Any ways that you can stimulate and guide blood to the area, you should be doing it. You can also use cryo-inspired tools/devices to help draw blood to the area.
Rosacea and eczema
Rosacea and eczema skin tend to be more sensitive to changes with temperature and humidity, keeping skin hydrated, cool and balance is key. I find a routine with mostly water-based products work better for skin with these issues. Start with a gentle cleanser that doesn't require rinsing with water as water can disrupt the natural pH of the skin e.g. a wipe off cream cleanser, followed with a toner/spritz with natural rose content, rose belongs to the mint family and it's extremely astringent, has the ability to constrict hyperactive capillaries helping the skin to calm down. Followed with a highly hydrating water based serum, and a moisturiser with high water content. It is best not to use very thick moisturisers that can cause the temperature of the surface of the skin to raise leading to rosacea to flare.
You mentioned the importance of blood circulation, are you able to teach us a ten minute facial massage technique to try at home?
Choose your favourite face oil
Start the massage by inhaling the scent of the oil
Spread all across face and décolletage
Chest
Place your hands on your heart and take a few moments for stillness and comfort
Hold your right hand in a fist and using the knuckles gently draw small circles from the middle, go outwards with medium pressure across the ribcage on the left side of your body, repeat 3-5 times. Repeat with left hand knuckles on right side rib cage
Gently comfort your chest area with your whole hands with brushing or sweeping motions
Jaw & Mouth
Stretch your neck forward and sideways
With 2 fingers, pinch your jawline from the middle to the base of the jawbones, massage the back of ears to the collarbone to drain
With 2 fingers pinch your lips and the area including the nasolabial folds, and the muscles under the mouth or any visible mariette lines
Tap around the mouth
Cheekbones
Form a fist, using the knuckles to draw upward circles with medium pressure to lift the muscle around the cheekbones
Lay your cheekbones on top of your knuckles to lift the cheeks. You don't need to put a lot of strength in this let the gravity does its job
Using 2nd, 3rd and ring finger, gently press and make vibrations in areas close to the nose to loosen nasal fluids
Eyes
Move upwards and press the 3 fingers around the orbital bone
Using your ring finger draw inward/outward circles around the orbital bone
Pinch your eyebrows and massage your temples
Forehead
Using your knuckles, massage with zig zag directions on your forehead from middle, outwards to the temple
With whole palms, gently stroke across forehead, coming down to the face, back of ears to the collarbone
End with both hands on heart
For more massage tutorials, visit Ada's IGTV channel: instagram.com/ada.ooi/channel/?hl=en