Few things in life feel as good as washing your face at the end of the day; that warm wash cloth that wipes away the sweat, the sunscreen, the make up.  I love that clean feeling. It hints that the day is ending.

Before the world came to a stop in March of 2020, I would travel incessantly.  I brought my son on an expedition into the Amazon and taught my daughter to drive on the isolated roads of Iceland.  I was in India with my daughter when the WHO declared a global public health emergency.  

Having struggled with oily acneic skin since age twelve, not washing my face at the end of the day, no matter where in the world I was, was nonnegotiable, and after having to close my business due to COVID, I had time to think about making that nightly ritual more travel-friendly, more hygienic and effective than a wet paper towel in an airport bathroom.  

With newfound time on my hands I began to pay closer attention to things my friends were talking about on social media.  One friend was raving about an electric facial brush with silicone bristles.  Another was singing the praises of her portable LED device (blue LED kills the bacteria that causes acne!) and yet another said she had a device with ion therapy (more about that later) but it wasn’t waterproof so she didn’t use it.

I’m a spa owner and esthetician so I know skin but could I create a device that could do all those things?  A device that a teenager struggling with acne could use and a 50-year-old woman wanting to treat fine lines and stimulate collagen production?  Could I incorporate the most popular treatments we did in the spa into a compact, waterproof, travel companion?  

Thus Onyx was born.

She has vibrating silicone bristles for a thorough cleanse and exfoliation, 4 modes of LED light, ion therapy, heat therapy and microcurrent (my favorite part).  

• Silicone bristles are more resistant to bacteria build up than a bristle brush. 

• LED light therapy can kill acne causing bacteria and stimulate the fibroblasts in our skin to produce collagen and elastin.  

• Negative ions encourage product penetration.  Positive ions help draw out impurities in our skin.  

• Micorcurrent passes electrical current into our skin to tighten and firm facial muscles and connective tissues.

• The heated plate increases blood flow to the skin which is essential for the regrowth of damaged tissue.  It also increases skin’s permeability for better absorption of essential nutrients.

• Waterproof

• USB charged (no adaptor needed for international travel!)

• Holds a full charge for a month

I’m so proud of the Onyx and the way it makes a complete facial treatment convenient not only for travelers but for anyone wanting to maintain the results of professional facial treatments between visits to the spa...and, of course, the girl like me, who just wants to go to bed with a clean face.

-Andrea