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Beauty Therapy: What is Slugging?

Beauty Therapy: What is Slugging? by Beauty Mixtress™

Hello!

In this weeks blog we're going to discuss a popular (not new) beauty trend that has resurfaced recently and it's called slugging.

Your skin is the largest part of your body and exposed to a lot of environmental aggressors such as pollution and UV rays which can damage your skins barrier.

Slugging is the process of using an occlusive (something that blocks or closes off) product like petroleum jelly or petrolatum, as the last step in your nighttime skin care routine. Doing this allows you to lock in hydration and prevent water loss throughout the night so that you have super dewy, moisturized skin in the morning. Petrolatum is one of the easiest and inexpensive products that allows you to repair your skin barrier.

*Note, many people do not like or use petroleum jelly. I'm only referencing what is widely known. A simple solution to this is to apply good old fashion olive oil.😉

Slugging for Skin Care

If you noticed, slugging mimics the process I've always shared when it comes to keeping your body moisturized. Use a water based lotion first, then apply body butter on top to seal in moisture.👍🏽 It's a method that just works.

Many dermatologists approve slugging but want to make sure you're doing it correctly. If you currently are or thinking about implementing slugging into your skin care routine. Use the following as a guide:

  1. Make sure to cleanse your skin well and apply your skin care products (even your moisturizer) prior to applying Vaseline, Aquaphor, etc. Not cleansing your skin properly before slugging will prevent dirt, debris and oil from escaping your skin which in return will cause breakouts.
  2. Slugging should be done a few nights per week at first to see how your skin tolerates it. You want to ensure your skin can still breathe. 
  3. Only add a thin layer of occlusive to your face. No need to overdo it.
  4. Slugging is not recommend for those with acne-prone or oily skin types, it can be beneficial for those with normal, dry skin and sensitive skin types.
  5. Slugging is not encouraged if any of the products in your routine contains things like tretinoin or glycolic acid or salicylic acid, retinols or retinoids. In doing so you could be locking in those products and could increase the potency and the absorption of those products, which could lead to irritation.

I myself have practiced slugging quite a bit but can admit that I have slacked up more times that I can count. But seeing this process trending again makes me want to have a go with it again. I can attest that my face always felt smoother, soft with a looked like I wasn't asleep in the morning🙂

I hope you enjoyed the blog and found it informative. Do you practice slugging or are you thinking about implementing it in your skin care routine? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time!

Beauty Mixtress 



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  • Beauty Mixtress on

    @Terri Haha, I agree with you. The term is not appealing at all. I would just call it sealing in moisture because that’s what it is, but I digress😂 I’m glad you’re gotten value from the blog.

  • Terri on

    Thanks for the information. I will attempt the process of moisturizing my skin more. I haven’t heard of this term before now but the name “slugging” they can dismiss me with that. Sounds like a cheap flusey. 🤣🤣🤣 They need to do better. I love all of your tips

  • Beauty Mixtress on

    @Georgina – I’m glad you found it informative and easy to understand. We definitely don’t need to overcomplicate info.

    Lol about the name. I don’t particularly like the name either. I always referred to it as sealing in moisture.🤷🏽‍♀️ I need to see who came of with this term.

  • Ms. Georgina on

    I was wondering what this trend “slugging” was all about. I heard about it via TikTok. I can’t stand the name of this process. It’s as old as time. I’ve used an overnight mask and received similar results.

    Thank you for simplifying this trend in a more practical way along with caution.
    Yes, you have told us about this process before this trend. We talked about this during Spa Night on Dec 2, 2020 and during the Mid Winter Release.


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