Entering that daunting beauty section at the department store, seeing customers look around at products like they know exactly what to look for, can be a challenge when you don’t know much about skincare. Trust me, we were all there once.
Finding a skincare routine is one thing, but finding one that works for you and your skin is a whole new mountain to climb. You want reliable products that improve your skin but aren’t a waste of money. It’s important to research before caving in and buying products. Companies will promise you that their product will give you the best skin, but instead are selling you a tiny bottle of pure fragrance.
Some Friendly Reminders
Teenagers and young adults are targeted differently; we don’t need to add a wrinkle eye cream to our routine but do need to add products that reduce breakouts and acne as these are the years we are more prone to them. It’s important to know what your skin type is: oily, dry, sensitive, normal, or a combination. This will help nail down what products you need and eliminate the ones you don’t.
It’s easy to go overboard and try to make an extremely complex skincare routine by seeing the endless products in stores to seeing influencers having masses of products lined up that they “can’t live without”. In reality, you only need a few good products that work for your skin rather than following a long-winded routine.
The 3 Step Minimalist Routine
The 3 Step Minimalist routine is a great routine to start before you venture out into making a more complex routine suited to your skin type. It gives the skin necessary nutrients and makes sure it's clean without stripping it too much or overloading the skin with serum.
- Cleanser, cleansing your face is a really important step to remove any dirt or grime off your face. If you wear makeup this is an especially important step!
- Moisturizing, using a moisturizer day and night helps prevent dryness in the face and rejuvenates your skin.
- SPF, adding an SPF to your skincare routine is a step many miss out on and need to do to protect your skin.
TIP: To simplify this even more, some moisturizers include SPF in their product!
Other Additions
Adding in extra steps such as toners and serums are highly recommended, I also always do a face mask twice a week, and alternate between Kiehl's avocado mask and the Freemans range of face masks. Using face masks has always been a part of my skincare routine, and I find it always leaves my skin feeling refreshed and healthy. It is important that if you do use face masks you find one that isn’t irritating to the skin. I use clay masks quite often over sheet masks as I have found they have caused inflammation and breakouts due to high levels of fragrance.
To tackle skin concerns such as puffiness in the cheeks I highly recommend investing in a rose quartz roller and pairing it with a serum or cream to reduce puffiness. Jade rollers warm the skin with contact whereas rose quartz cools it down. Remember: if you use this method, learn the proper way to handle a facial roller, and only roll it upwards on your face!
If you struggle with blemishes or pesky pimples a really common product that is a must is the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. Pat the targeted area with a dab of this product and leave it on overnight and it dries it up. A product sent from angels!
Brands to Check Out
There are millions of companies out there, but what ones should you purchase from? Taking into account the potential liability, price, and quality are tricky. Some brands have established themselves as relatively trusted throughout the beauty community. To make a start in the skincare world, here's a few highly recommended brands.
- The Ordinary
- Neutrogena
- Drunk Elephant
- Cerave
- Clinique
It’s vital to remember that what works for someone else might not work for you, and vice versa. Our skins are different and can react differently to certain products. Skincare isn’t all about what you put on your face, it involves other factors that play big roles in our skin such as hormones and genetics.
Don’t be ashamed if a product a friend recommended didn’t work for you if it worked for your friend that's great! But once again, your skin isn’t like theirs.
How Long Will It Take?
Another key factor in developing a skincare routine is remembering not to think that once you have a skincare routine your skin will clear up in one night. Taking care of yourself and your skin is eating right, exercising, drinking enough water as well as taking care of your face. Just because you have a skincare routine now doesn’t mean you're not prone to breakouts and bad skin days anymore. It's a process: you need to let your skin heal and build itself back up.
Trialing out products is actually where your skin is at its highest breakout stage. If you're shoving on products that your skin hasn’t had on before, it can cause a reaction. Don’t fret, just make sure you don’t try a bunch of new products all in one sitting, and give each product time to work. Otherwise, you’ll wind up the next day with bad skin and the unanswered question… which product did this?
If you are making your way back into that beauty department make sure you are prepared, search online for some well-reviewed products that are recommended by Dermatologists and specialists. Chances are there's somebody in your household who might have a good recommendation for you.
Remember to never buy products with a high fragrance level, knockoff brands, or from stores that aren’t chemists, pharmacies, department stores, or a chained beauty shop such as Sephora, ULTA, or Mecca. Purchasing products intended for the skin from anywhere else that seems unsafe for use shouldn’t be purchased or used by the consumer.
No more need to look panicked when you see the word “Skincare.” If you follow the 3 step routine and add your twist to it, you’ll have clear, healthy skin in no time.
