Skin Chronicles 1: The Basics
This quote below is why you need to care about your skin! So I’ma drop this here and leave it for you to nosh on.
"Did you know that only 10% of aging is intrinsic, meaning the natural process of aging and your genetic disposition, while 90% is extrinsic aging? That means the environment, lifestyle choices and external factors attribute to the rest. Translation: it can be prevented and slowed!!" - Sophia Hong
If you think it’s about time you started caring about your skin, read on.
I want to keep this direct and informational. So we won’t go into my skin journey, recommended products, or the fact that I’ve NEVER had a skin routine. For the purposes of this journal entry, just know I’m a newbie that’s learning a lot; and I’m sharing everything I know so far.
Here are the skincare essentials you must have to help maintain healthy skin.
One. Cleanse
Use a gentle cleanser and don’t spend a whole lot of money on these. Foam and milk cleansers are recommended for drier skinned individuals.
Two. Exfoliate
Keep it gentle and only do this one to three times a week. Exfoliate to remove dead skin cells that come about as a result of your natural skin cycle (i.e. the process where new skin cells are formed at the deepest layer of the epidermis and works its way up to the surface of the skin).
Three. Tone
As in use toner to get any last resort gunk out of your face. This step refreshens and preps your face. Find a non-alcoholic version so it doesn’t strip and dry out your skin.
Four. Restore
This is where the serums, essences and masks come in. Now that your face is clean and prepped, it’s time to put the vitamins and water back into your face. There are tons of product options to use here, so choose a serum, essence or mask based on your skin goals. (i.e. target redness, uneven skin tone, blackheads, flaky skin, acne, dry skin, wrinkle prevention, firmness, etc.) This is where you want to invest your dollars. You can layer products here if you’re trying to treat multiple things. If you have a multi-product approach, start with the clearest of products and end with the creamiest of products. (Small molecules that penetrate deeper to larger molecules that sit on top of your skin.) Here are some of the ingredients to look for in your products depending on your goals: aqua, niacinamide, peptides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, adenosine, ceramides. Now I don’t know what any of that means, but I’m diving in to my research and you should too.
Five. Moisturize
Now it’s time to lock all that restoration in with a lotion or creme. You can layer moisturizers, especially in months where you feel more dry. Start with the lighter/thinner products first and end with the heavier cremes, like night cremes. You can also use face oils after the moisturizer for extra hydration in winter months.
Six. Protect
We’ve all heard at some point in our lives that sunscreen is important to prevent skin damage. The sun is out every single day. Even when it’s cloudy and even when you’re indoors with windows. But what really got my attention was that the blu-ray from our monitors and phones are included in that damage. As someone who sits in front of a screen every single day, I acted fast. Find a sunscreen with at least SPF30 and with a PA+++ rating and apply it every day. Make sure you take off your sunscreen at night as it clogs pores.
Choose products that address your concerns and stick to your routine for a minimum of 30 days. The typical skin cycle (the process ) is 30 days, so give your products your entire skin cycle to see results. Change takes patience, consistency and discipline.
And that’s it! Other things to discuss are daytime versus night time routines, product recommendations, my personal journey, etc. So I look forward to sharing more with you as I learn!
I hope this was helpful!