After months of being quarantined or social distancing, you’re probably at a loss on how to spend your free time. You’ve tried it all: crafting, binge-watching a show, or tidying your home. Now what?
It’s time to master your skincare routine! Use this extra time at home to dig into a skin care routine that’s complete with products designed to nourish and treat your skin type. With so many skin care options that exist on the market, you’ll likely be overwhelmed with choices when it comes to finding the right products for you. Don’t worry! You don’t have to break the bank or test out a million different items to get the results you’re looking for. We’ve got you covered!
Here are four simple steps to create your perfect skin care routine:
Determine Your Skin Type
First things first, you’ve got to know what kind of skin you have so you know how to properly care for it. You may already know, or you might be completely clueless, but determining your skin type is actually quite easy.
If you notice that your skin feels uncomfortably tight and sometimes itches or burns, you probably have dry skin. On the other hand, if you find that your skin always feels a bit greasy or is prone to breakouts, then you likely have oily skin. If you feel symptoms of dryness and oiliness, but on different areas of your face, then you may have combination skin.
Each of these skin types requires the same basic care to restore balance to your skin, but beyond that, you may need specialized treatments to target more intense skin issues related to your skin type. Read on to see how you can get started on your skin care journey!
Keep It Simple
Once you know what skin type you have, you’re ready to start treating it. Fortunately, most skin care routines will consist of the same basic products: cleanser and moisturizer.
Sometimes, for further balance, a toner with calming ingredients can be incorporated into your basic routine as well. Toners are most commonly used after cleansing the skin, and before applying moisturizer.
Now, there’s no need to go purchase some fancy or expensive cleanser and moisturizer in the hopes of completely transforming your skin. You can find a cleanser and moisturizer to fit any budget, from drugstore to high-end. These products are sure to provide benefits for your skin, so long as they have gentle ingredients. Some ingredients can be too harsh to use on your skin every day or in large amounts, like retinol or salicylic acid for example. These ingredients only need to be used on problem areas and for specific needs.
As long as you use a gentle cleanser and moisturizer with very simple ingredients, you are likely to see the results you’re hoping for. If problem areas still persist, however, see our next tip on how to proceed.
Treat Your Concerns
After you’ve found the basics for your routine, you may find that your concerns are a bit tougher to treat with washing and moisturizing alone. For instance, acne is a major concern that tends to stick around, even after consistently caring for your skin. Sometimes, it takes a little something extra to help clear up acne. Luckily, there are a variety of acne products out there that can help tackle this problem. Using an acne cream containing tretinoin, for example, is a sure-fire way to combat blemishes and heal your skin.
Tretinoin is a specific ingredient found in skin care products that is meant to speed up the process of cell turnover, making your acne disappear more quickly while improving the overall appearance of your skin.
Finding the right skin care ingredients to treat your concerns is essential to creating the perfect skin care routine. See the infographic below to determine which ingredients you should be looking for when trying to treat your unique skin needs.
Consistency Is Key
You probably aren’t going to see results overnight when starting up a new skin care routine or trying out a new product for the first time. Typically, it takes about one month to see results from a new skin care routine. Result times may vary between products, based on the strength of their ingredients. All in all, give it about 4-6 weeks when trying a new product before you decide whether or not it is working for you.
Of course, if you don’t see at least a small change or if your skin has a severe negative reaction to the product, go ahead and toss it. If you are particularly concerned about your skin and find that over the counter products aren’t cutting it for you, consulting with your doctor should be your next step.
So, there you have it! With skin care, fewer, quality products are always better than a bunch of different products that really aren’t working for your skin.
If you’re bored in quarantine and are thinking about adding a new product or two to your skin care routine, make sure you pay close attention to the ingredients in any product you use, and when in doubt, ask your doctor.
And don’t forget that SPF!
