With the passage of time and the evolution of the beauty industry, there has sprouted a trend where people have shifted to the belief that the importance of skincare is much more than makeup when it comes to the vitality of a good look.
It is now suggested that if you invest properly in skincare products and build a good skincare routine, then it can directly affect how your makeup looks on the daily because a good skin means better makeup application and better product absorption into the skin for a natural and flawless makeup look.
Now skincare is something that can prove to be a little tricky before you master it. Unlike sharing clothes, a skincare routine isn’t something you can copy or borrow from your bestie. Of course, you may be able to gather some useful tips, however an efficient skincare routine is one that is customized to your skin type, needs, and goals.
If you’ve already got a daily skincare routine, you’re on the right track to having beautiful, healthy skin. But if you’re still struggling with troublesome skin, you might need to tweak your skincare routine.
A personalized skincare routine, built to meet the needs of your distinct skin type and its problems, as well as its needs, can help you get to your skin goals faster. All your unique skin issues are targeted and the thought of flaunting your beautiful skin can come to life.
In order to see the best results, you’ve got to personalize your routine to match your unique skin. Here’s how:
Personalizing Your Skincare Routine
Personalizing your skincare routine means knowing what kind of skin you have and then using that information to create a routine that works well for your skin. For the longest period of time, we have been using products in the market that may cater upto only two of our skin concerns because obviously they are made like a one size fits all type thing.
However, every face of skin out there is distinct to each other and needs a personalized cocktail of products that can cater to it. That is why personalizing your skincare routine has become all the talk these days.
Without the right skincare routine, you could experience a number of skincare issues, including:
- Acne
- too much of dry, flaky skin
- too much oily skin
- Sunburn
- Liver spots
- wrinkles
- fine lines
- blemishes
- pigmentation
All of these problems, and more, are honestly not worth taking the chance and following a routine that is not specifically made for your skin.
Failing to care for your skin properly with the right products that contain the right ingredients is a mistake many of us have made, probably because of lack of knowledge regarding our skin, which is totally normal, and the things it actually needs to get to that glowy and clear smooth canvas for you to flaunt.
Figuring Out What Type of Skin You Have
Perhaps the first and most important step on the road towards glowing and gorgeous skin is figuring out what your skin type really is, and how it reacts towards different circumstances and seasons. Your skin is factually the largest organ of your body, looking rather normal, however extremely delicate and intricate to handle. Unlike other organs such as your heart, lungs, brain, etc, your skin is exposed towards the external environment and is subjected to various impacts.
The main type of skin are as follows:
- Normal
- Dry
- Oily
- Combination
- Sensitive
As easy as it may seem, it is ot exactly a piece of cake for you to just simply decide what type of skin you have. For this, we have put together a little guide for you. Some ways in which you can figure out your skin type are:
- The bare face method:
The first method is the bare face method. In order to find your skin type through this method, you just have to follow a few steps. Wash your face with a mild cleanser and pat it dry gently. Then leave your skin, without applying any moisturizers, serums, etc and wait for some 30 minutes.
Once 30 minutes are up, go to the mirror and check your cheeks, nose, forehead carefully to see if any shine has emerged. After another 30 minutes, check if your skin looks flaky or feels tight, especially if you smile. If this is the case, then you most likely have dry skin.
If there is considerable shine, then you may have normal or combination skin, but if the shine stretches to the cheeks apart from the nose and forehead, then you can rule it out that you oily skin.
The blotting sheet method
Another method that is as easy as the first one, is to use blotting sheets. Gently pat a blotting sheet on to your cheeks, nose and forehead. Then observe the sheet under a light source to see what it shows.
If your sheet comes back dry with no effect, then your skin is dry. If there is some oil on the paper, then you most likely have normal or combination skin. But if the sheet seems drenched in oil, then you have oily skin.
In order to check if you have sensitive skin, you need to monitor how your skin reacts to possible allergens which may include some soaps, dust, pollution, sunlight, etc. If your skin gets red, irritated and blotchy with some sort of rash upon contact with such things, then you may have sensitive skin.
Other ways to figure out what type of skin you have by taking a “What’s my skin type?” quiz or by keeping a journal of how your skin acts in different environments and in response to what you do to it. Then you can tally these aspects with the characteristics of all the main types of skin and rule yours out.
Finding the Right Products with the Right Ingredients
Once you know your skin type, it’s time to find the right products with the right ingredients to ensure your skin is the healthiest it can be.
That means you need to know which ingredients are helpful and which are harmful to your skin. (Make sure you check out the RF skin tightening machines here.
Some of the most popular skincare ingredients are:
- Antioxidants: Natural and synthetic ingredients that protect your skin against environmental stressors, such as free radicals
- Benzoyl peroxide: An over-the-counter antibacterial agent great for treating acne
- A beta-hydroxy acid (BHA): Exfoliants that penetrate the pores to clear acne and blackheads
- Collagen: A protein taken from animals that helps lock moisture into the skin
- Elastin: Gives skin its flexibility and helps it retain moisture
- Glycerin: A humectant that helps maintain moisturized, soft-looking skin
- Sunscreen: to shield your skin from harmful UV rays that may irritate it and in the long run cause skin problems, including cancer.
- Retinol: to promote anti-aging qualities
- Vitamin C: one of the most popular and common active ingredients that can help protect your skin from free radical damage
- Niacinamide: a form of vitamin B3 that is growing increasingly popular and can help prevent free radical damage, brightening, and fighting acne.
- Hyaluronic acid: which is popular for boosting hydration as it functions to draw water towards the skin surface.
Figure out which ingredients would benefit your skin the most and start looking for products that have those ingredients. It must be noted that this is just a general list of ingredients that are seen to be really beneficial for your skin, but it is not at all guaranteed that all of them are supposed to suit your skin type too. Do not risk damaging your skin by using these ingredients, especially the active ones without a recommendation from your dermatologist.
Tips for Building a Skincare Routine
Now comes the actual process of building your perfect routine. Research has shown that there are certain methods and orders for the application of all your skincare products.
Whether it be a serum, eye cream, or moisturizer, each product has a fixed place in a skincare routine which can aid in boosting its efficiency and giving your great results.
Building a daily skincare routine is not a walk in the park though. You may find good info on the article here on building a skincare routine.
It requires a lot of research and of course, undying determination.
To start with, you should ingrain it in your mind that you have to wash your face about two times a day. Once in the morning, and once at night to get rid of all the dirt and grime that has stuck to your face throughout the day before you advance towards your daily morning and night skincare routine respectively.
If you are wearing makeup, then make it known that by any means, you are not to go to bed without removing. That is literally a crime that you will do to your skin. And there is enough reasoning for this. Nighttime is when your skin repairs itself, regenerate all the dead cells so your skin remains elastic and fresh all the time. But if you have the bad habit of not removing your makeup at night, then you basically are preventing your skin from doing this job. Makeup at the end of the day turns into an impermeable shield through which even air cannot pass and reach your skin. As a result, your skin is not able to breathe properly and rejuvenate itself, and signs of fatigue soon appear, ultimately leading to premature aging as well.
This is how you can layer your skincare products:
- Daytime:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Antioxidant serum
- Eye cream
- Spot treatment (if you have acne)
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
- Nighttime
- (Double) cleanser
- Toners, essences, boosters
- eye cream
- treatments, serums, peels
- Moisturizer or night cream
Some skin care tips for that glowy and plumpy skincare routine:
- Moisturize both day and night. Avoid lotions with heavy textures and fragrances because it may lead to skin irritation. So, it is important to choose a moisturizer that is gentle enough for your skin and gives you good results too.
- Avoid touching your face. Repeatedly touching your face can lead to the transfer of bacteria and other microorganisms from your fingers onto your face. This can lead to breakouts and is a habit you need to get rid of.
- Drink water. Although it is pretty straightforward, you need to keep your daily intake of water in check at all times. Not drinking enough water can make your skin dry and snatch its plump look from it.
- NEVER skip on sunscreen. Sunscreen is honestly so so important that if you use it and nothing else before heading out, you are doing yourself a huge favour. And not only outdoors, you should wear sunscreen indoors too. Make no exception of seasons or weather. Using sunscreen is going to help shield your skin from UV rays which are so damaging that they can even cause skin cancer alongside various rashes and aging. Even if you do not have the budget to invest in a lot of skincare products, save some up to get a good sunscreen and the rest will be compensated for.
- Exfoliate regularly. Science says that we lose upto 50 million cells everyday and of course, they are not all always going to be efficient enough to leave your skin. Hence, exfoliating your face a couple times per week is the way to remove all your dead skin cells to reveal fresh and glowing skin underneath.
- Do not apply too much product. When it comes to skin, you should go by the less is more rule. It is entirely senseless to dab blobs of products onto your skin because your skin can only absorb them to a certain extent. Whatever is left over will pill and make your pores clog which can lead to a whole different world of skin problems. Moreover, using more products means you will run out of them faster, which is just not economical.
- Double cleansing is the way to go. Double cleansing is an increasingly popular hack that has its root in the Korean beauty world. It is extremely beneficial because speaking from experience, one cleant does not get all the dirt, oil, bacteria, makeup, and grime out of your skin. If you go over with another cleanse, then your skin is much cleaner and fresher.
- Purging is normal. Purging is referred to as the reaction to any active ingredients you may have used which increases the rate of cell turnover. As this rate increases, the skin starts to shed its dead cells. It may look concerning, however, purging is actually good for your skin as it helps your new and fresh skin cells to emerge.
- Don’t forget about your neck. It is a common mistake people make by concentrating all their skincare only on the face by missing out on your neck. However, this is something you should not avoid because necks age really fast and if you don’t give them the same care, then they can easily give away your age. So whatever you do, and yes, we mean whatever on your face, do it to your neck too. Make sure to massage gently in an upwards motion on your neck to prevent it from sagging downwards.
- Stop popping your pimples. Seriously, leave them alone. As tempting as it is, it is not at all worth it. Popping pimples leads to the spread of bacteria and there is a risk of scarring attached to it. There is so much going on your skin that is not visible to the naked eye, so don’t think you have done something heroic by sanitizing your affected area and your hands before doing it.
- Mask regularly. Masks are not just an occasional pamper night ritual. You need to incorporate them into your daily skincare routine. Use one every morning if you can to soothe your skin and prep it for makeup. If you cannot do it daily, then try to do it as much as possible because it can solve a lot of your skin problems if you find the right masks for your skin type. Moreover, you should start using sleeping masks too if you don’t already. Like said already, nighttime is the repairing time for your skin cells. By using sleeping masks you are not only boosting this process, but also protecting your skin from any bacteria that may come to attack your skin at night.
- NEVER use expired products. This one is a no-brainer. Expired products have bacteria living in them so using such products, you are not just willfully exposing your skin to these harmful bacteria and putting it at risk for infection, but such products also do not work well, so it is basically a waste of time too. If you are not sure when you got a certain product and if it is expired, you can always look for a jar with a floating lid symbol at the back. This jar has a number next to a ‘M’ on it which basically stands for the number of months you can use your products for before they go all bad and gunky.
Takeaway
Knowing the importance of personalizing your skincare routine means you’ll be able to carefully craft one to suit your individual needs. A personalized skin care regimen is formulated to address and cater to all your different skin problems that are unique to your skin only.
This means that you cannot copy someone else’s skin routine just because following it makes their skin look good. Every skin is different and using someone else’s routine may even cause more damage than benefit.
To avoid this exact damage, you need to take the step and build your own skincare routine. Do your research, go to your dermatologist, invest in good quality products (they do not have to be pricey all the time), and then get to it with determination and consistency to see the results. Take this information and use it to create a skincare routine that makes your skin radiant and beautiful.
