Yoga Teacher and Runner Jocelyn Solomon photographed by David Young-Wolff.
Whether you are training for a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or even the full 26 miles, skincare is vital. Running the trails outdoors leaves your skin exposed to the elements. Both sun and wind can create challenges for the skin.
Maintaining healthy, supple skin can be achieved with these products and services tailored to sun protection, detoxification, and hydration. Nourishing yourself – including your skin – is a daily practice.
Check out some of our favorite skincare products
1. Sweat Cosmetics
Founded by a group of professional and Olympic athletes looking for sweat-friendly skincare solutions for people on the go, these products deliver.
One of our faves is the Mineral Foundation SPF30 + Twist Brush. The innovative, twist-to-open brush design is fully portable and enclosed when not in use so that the brush stays clean in a gym or yoga bag (and your bag stays free of residue as well).
The anti-oxidant and Vitamin E-rich mineral powder also contains ingredients such as anti-inflammatory milk thistle. It is available in a variety of shades.
We also love the individually wrapped cleansing towelettes with hydrating coconut water, detoxifying green tea, and nourishing Vitamin E. They’re a perfect on-the-go skin freshening go-to.
2. John Masters Organics
Hydrating shea butter, anti-oxidant green tea, and pH balancing and moisturizing jojoba allow this suncare to be not only sun protective but skin nourishing. If your activities take you into the water, know that this mineral sunscreen is biodegradable and reef-friendly.
3. Osmotics
When SPF meets skincare, you get Osmotics.
Age Prevention Protection Extreme SPF 45
This anti-oxidant-rich formula is oil-free for everyday use yet applies easily to the skin. Use under makeup for a daily anti-aging boost as well as protection from sun damage.
Age Prevention Sheer Facial Tint SPF 45
Brighten up your day with this splash of color combined with powerful sun protection. Multiple shades are available to accommodate every skin hue and the ingredients are safe for sensitive skin or after procedures. Mix with foundation or use alone.
4. Plain Jane Beauty
Micellar Makeup Remover
Skincare expert and Beverly Hills Natural Feelings Spa owner Adina Diaz loves this eye makeup remover because it is so gentle—and so effective—that you don’t need to rinse. This go-to for pros is a perfect complement for an active lifestyle.
5. Lotus Moon
Lotus Moon describes their Hyaluronic Intensive Serum as a facial do-over button to repair damage to the skin. This is another one of Adina’s favorite products for its anti-oxidant rich ingredient list. Power players include Alpha Lipoic Acid, CoQ10, meadowfoam oil, and more.
Power of C Duo
Adina recommends this innovative product because Vitamin C, when combined with water, has a limited shelf life. This two-step, powder-based Vitamin C, when mixed with the Power Activator, creates an alchemical reaction for fresh, active Vitamin C to be delivered to the skin. The extra step is worth it when it comes to the nourishing effect.
In the Spa
Check out our favorite skincare service, Exhale Spa
Sometimes we need a little help when it comes to skin restoration and full-body recovery – a trip to the spa for a facial or a massage (or both). Exhale Spa Director, Laura Benge says that the benefits of massage therapy are cumulative; each sports massage builds upon the progress of the last session. Schedule with a therapist regularly.
Sports massage focuses on an athlete’s specific performance needs and at Exhale, we tailor the massage to the needs of the athlete with the goal of taking a body under stress and strain to being free-moving and stress free.
Exhale Spa
After Sun Facial
According to Exhale Spa Director Laura Benge, spending time outside in the elements can take a toll on the skin. She says that Exhale’s After Sun Facial is a carefully created protocol to take care of delicate, sun and wind burned skin.
Green tea extract, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and other ingredients cool irritated skin while also hydrating. Whether repairing sun or wind damage, this 60-minute facial is a nourishing addition to an athlete’s routine. If you’re running the LA Marathon, schedule now.
Sports Massage
Since our skin is our largest organ in our body, the health of the skin is also affected by the state of our full-body circulation. Including a sports massage as part of a wellness regimen is helpful not only for muscle recovery, but for skin health.
Exhale Spa’s Sports Massage repairs fatigued muscles and can be a powerful stimulant for healthy lymphatic system circulation.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.