Joanna Czech's AM/PM Routine
As the A-list’s go-to esthetician (Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston are regulars), JOANNA CZECH is famous for transforming skin using a mix of machines and massage. Here, she shares her own at-home skin regimen, the diet program she swears by and how a weighted blanket has transformed her sleep…
IN THE MORNING
I start my day…
…with a glass of celery juice. I’m not sure if it does anything, but the cumulative effects make me feel fresher. Plus I don’t feel so guilty when I have a coffee later in the morning, as at least I’ve already had a healthy start.
The biggest change to my skin…
…has been using a 111Skin Sub-Zero De-Puffing Eye Mask every morning. I have to say, I have seen the difference. They are like a sheet mask for the eyes, and while the results may not be long-lasting, for those first few hours of the day, when my eyes are puffy, it’s a miracle. Otherwise, in the morning I rinse my face (I don’t use a cleanser) and then use either a Biologique Recherche toner or Royal Fern Essence by Dr. Timm Golueke. For skincare, I have most of the Biologique Recherche, Dr. Barbara Sturm and RéVive ranges in my bathroom.
I make ice cubes using chamomile tea…
…or even black tea (it’s all anti-inflammatory), then wrap one in gauze or a paper towel and run it around my eyes and over my face after using the Dior Prestige Le Nectar Serum. I like to mix oils and face creams, usually Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum or Costa Brazil Kaya Anti-Aging Face Oil with Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream. I have a shower each morning, but instead of using a scrub on my body, I use silicone gloves to polish my skin and then follow this with either an oil – I love the Costa Brazil Kaya Jungle Firming Body Oil – or the Augustinus Body Cream. I always apply them to damp, not dry, skin.
I take supplements daily…
…omega oils, vitamins C and D3 morning and evening, and then magnesium at night. Plus, when I’m traveling (and I’m always traveling), I have peppermint tea as it’s so soothing and aids digestion.
I follow The Plant Paradox eating program…
…and have done so for a year. Written by Steven Gundry, it explains why cutting out lectins from your diet (found in grains and legumes) can be very anti-inflammatory. For breakfast, I have a berry mix with sheep or goat’s yogurt, or eggs and avocado, then sea bass or salmon with vegetables for lunch and dinner. More importantly, I cut out corn, cucumber and tomato with this program and within a week I had fewer headaches and felt less sluggish. As with gluten, not everyone has a sensitivity to lectins, but cutting them out has made a big difference to me.
IN THE EVENING
I have to do a workout…
…otherwise I can’t sleep, as it really affects me. I have been doing exercise since I was seven years old, and even competed in running for my country, Poland, as a child. Now, I do yoga, cross-training, weights and kickboxing, and I’ve played basketball for years; I’m only 5ft 2in (157cm) tall, but I’m fast!
When I have an evening in…
…I use a face mask – the ones from 111Skin and Meder are my favorites – and I do treatments, such as a face massage followed by an LED treatment for my face and my body. I also love oil for the face and have about 10 of them on my sink from Tata Harper, Tatcha, Costa Brazil and Vintner’s Daughter.
Without fail, I have a shower or bath every night…
…and use exfoliating gloves to scrub my body like crazy to get rid of the day’s pollution. As my mother always use to say to me, never take the streets to your sheets!
I massage my face every day…
…using my facial massager in different ways; over a sheet mask, just over toner, or I layer up my serums and use it then. I always keep it on my bedside table, and have another one chilling in the refrigerator.
My sleep has transformed…
…since I started using a weighted blanket. I got one for Christmas and it weighs 15lb (7kg). Just laying under it really helps me relax and unwind. I love to read at night but now, with this blanket, I get six pages in and find that I’m asleep.
