Also another question i receive frequently on my mail is around adulthood acne.
Although this might be due to stress, hormonal conditions or imbalances, allergic response etc, chances are it might be due to microbial infections as well.
You might be confident and persistent about your skin care, as I am, but there are things outside of it that most of us don't really take under consideration at all, therefore we don't take the necessary measurements and sometimes we end up with skin issues. Let's get started:
Micro-injuries of the skin (and how to avoid them)
- Overscrubbing
- Rubbing face with towel
- Harsh pillowcase fabric
- Long nails and careless skin massage
Did you know that one scrub product is not suitable for all skin types? Also the frequency you should scrub should depend on your own unique complexion depending on your oil secretion, not just the sensitivity of your skin. Choose an appropriate product for your skin type and if you have sensitive skin don't exfolliate more than once in 7-10 days. For normal skin, once a week is fine and for ultra oily skin a scrub can be beneficial every 5 days. Also make sure to use skin care products that calm down the skin, such as aloe vera or chamomile based products to ensure you're not getting any micro wounds on your skin.
Furthermore, harsh pillowcases and face rubs with towel are an absolute disaster not only because they injure the skin but also because they work as microbial storage place due to the moisture and out skin leftovers overtime, hence they sneak bacteria in and boom, happy infection day. You can try to avoid using towels at all and switch to single use paper towels instead. If you don't want to, make sure at least you're using soft cotton towels, you change them MAXIMUM every 3rd day and you GENTLY TAP your skin. No rubbing! As for the pillowcases, switch to silk. Synthetics or harsh cotton can seriously damage your skin (and hair as well), epsecially if you're twisting around when you sleep.
Last but not least, i know most girls out there are fond of extra long nails, and that's okei but make sure you're serious about your hygiene and all the dirt that gets stored underneath and be extra careful with the way you apply your moisturizer, or any other product, so that the edge of your nails never touch your skin.
PH imbalance (and how to fix it)
- Dehydration (internal and external)
- Skipping sunscreen
- Inappropriate skin care products
- Products with parfume or alcohol (check your setting spray)
Here is another overlooked part. Dehydration, either internal when you don't drink enough water/ sweat excessively or external, when you wash your face/shower with ultra hpt water can seriously dehydrate your skin and promote early aging. Wash off with lukewarm water and rinse with cold to refresh your skin. Use a toner lotion to balance out the PH and then a good moisturizer to make sure you're keeping your skin elastic and hydrated. Sun radiation can also harm your skin so make sure you're not skipping your sunscreen, it will contribute to proper moisture levels too.
A VERY important black spot in our skin care is the choices we make regarding liquid products. The formulas for any skin type are supposed to deal with the particular challenges every skin type has. For instance, an oily skin suffers from excessive oil secretion, the pores are so moist and open that they absorb a big amount of air dust which consequently forms a thick layer of dirt-oil that blocks the pores and leads to inflammation. For that purpose, a mattifying product will work wonders, since it creates a matt film around the skin as a shield to the dirt. It keeps the oil secretion moderate by absorbing the extra moisture and keeps the pores covered. If someone with extra sensitive skin, uses a product made for oily skin, will probably get instant irritation due to the mild dehydrating effect of the product, the dry skin will be more prone to injuries and infections and it will look red and unhealthy. Always keep an eye on your product type and make sure you're also aware of your own skin type. Don't buy something inappropriate just because it was on sale.
Attention Attention: Make sure your products are parfume and alcohol free, any irritative agent inside a product you use everyday can seriously crush your efforts for a healthy glowing skin. Setting sprays are usually the most tricky ones, along with liquid highlighters.
Hygiene Challenges (and how to combat them)
- Make up brushes : It is obvious that make up brushes (especially those used for liquid products) are the number one substrate for bacterial infections. You need to keep them clean but that's quite challenging on a daily basis since most of us don't have the time to wash them every day. What you CAN do though, is to set one day a week for washing them, as a routine. Then during the week make sure to get a cotton pad, add some toner lotion or micellaire water and gently clean the brush before and after use to get rid of as much product and skin oil as possible.
- The surface of the products: Wither you're a brush maniac or you prefer using your hands, the only sure thing is that during your skin care (and make up as well) you touch a lot of products back to back before washing your hands. Consequently, you transfer oil, product leftovers and dust that sits on the surface of the packages from product to product. Hence, even if you just washed the hands, if the object is dirty, you'll touch it and transfer everything on your skin, pads, brushes. What i like to do is to have a makeup remover wipe right next to me and every product i use, i wipe it around before putting it back in place. It will also help to store your products in cases with some air flow but not openly exposed.
- Your phone and headset: Those are the most important of all because we use them every day in various environments. Make sure to always carry with you disinfecting wipes and at least make sure you clean them every night before bed to remove all the accumulated dirt, sweat, dust of the day.
- Your earings: Another super overlooked spot. Especially if you're fond of long earings that touch your jawline or neck, you might already have irritations and pimples around that area. Imagine having your make up on, getting your earing to touch your skin and never cleaning it for a year or more. Sounds gross right?
- Your glasses: On the same page as your phone, you put your glasses on and off several times a day, you touch them with your hands that are not always clean and of course they stand on your nose and cheeks (highest oil secretion areas). Gradually they get an oil/make up build up underneath, which touches your skin every day. Not a smart choice to keep making. Set a routine, of cleaning them with a make up remover pad every night before bed, along with your phone and headset.
- LAPTOP/PC Keyboard: If you ever cleaned your laptop/PC keyboard you know very well what I am talking about! It's a surface we clean very scarcely, yet, we touch every day. That makes it the top RED FLAG. What you can do to prevent overaccumulation of dirt is to wash your hands before every use to prevent transfer of daily dirt load and use an alcohol wipe to clean it up peristently once a week!
Your skincare routine
I could probably vent for hours about social media, skincare routines and industries bombing everyone with 100000 products that are completely unnecessary and sometimes even dangerous for the skin if they are unsuitable for your needs or you use them incorrectly.
I know that using the 'viral retinol' serum might sound like a good idea, however, everyone's skin is different and harsh substances (such as acids) can do more harm than good.
There is no 'miracle product', skin care is a marathon, therefore you need a few ESSENTIALS (following the skin's needs for cleansing, sebum regulation, hydration and protection) that you need to be consistent with, in the long run, to see solid results.
I avoid recommending specific products, as different skin types react differently to products, which brings us to the point of personal awareness of the skin types and experimentation with APPROPRIATE FORMULAS.
My personal skincare is simple but religiously followed:
Morning:
1. Wash with a gentle soap (i put a drop on wet hands, lather it THERE and then apply the foam on wet skin.
2. Rinse with cold water, gently tap a paper towel on, to dry.
3. Gently tap some toner or micellar water on with MY PALMS. No rubbing.
4. Moisturizing cream, applied with clean hands in a gentle circular motion.
- If i don't weat make up i use an SPF day cream or pigmented sunscreen.
- If i intend to use make up, i let my non SPF cream absorb completely and proceed with my make up. At the end of it, i set with an SPF setting spray.
Night:
1) DOUBLE CLEANSE IS THE KIND
- I rub some pure coconut oil on my hands and massage my whole face (including eyelashes), The oil melts all the make up products.
- I wet a towel with warm water, squeeze most of it out and wipe gently all the slug.
- I rinse the towel with warm water, and repeat the previous step 2-3 times.
- Then I am ready to lather some soap between my palms, wash and rinse with cold water.
3) Optional step: in periods of skin breakouts i use either some salicylic acid on the pimples or a tea tree serum.
4) Moisturizing night cream.
5) Eye cream and off to sleep.
There you go beauties 💖 I hope this article was a good reminder to set up a new routine that will hopefully vanish the main reasons that sabbotage the glowy healthy skin you dream of ! Leave me a comment with the black spot you are most guilty of!😣 For me the earings part was so damn true!
Stay tuned for more updates,
Have a magical day❤
Irina
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