Elevate Your Skin Health: Let’s Talk Skincare

You don’t need 10 steps in your skincare routine for it to be effective. In fact, contrary to popular belief, less is more with skincare and your skin will thank you for simplicity. Many people are scared off in the skincare world because they delve into everything quickly with too many products which can sensitize your skin and leave you worse off than when you started out.

There are 4 products I consider absolutely essential for skincare:

Cleanser
Moisturizer
Retinol
SPF

The skin on our face is more delicate and sensitive than the skin on the rest of our bodies. If you’re using a bar of soap or shower gel to cleanse your face, stop right there. Your skin thrives when you use products that support its balance, but harsh soaps can strip the skin of oil signaling it to produce more oil to compensate. A tip for cleansers: gel and foaming cleansers are best for oily and combination skin while cream and milk cleansers are best for normal and dry skin.

The same goes for moisturizers: thicker balms and creams are best for drier skin while gel moisturizers are best for oilier skin. Changing moisturizers is also a good idea if you’re located somewhere where seasonal changes are drastic. Oftentimes, fine lines and wrinkles are signs of dehydration and not aging. The lines are smoothed when the skin is hydrated and plumped with moisturizing ingredients. Even if your skin is oily, use a moisturizer. People think that extra moisture will lead to extra oil, but this is a myth. If your skin is properly hydrated, sebum production will decrease promoting skin balance.

Retinol is a type of retinoid derived from Vitamin A. It is the only proven ingredient to reverse signs of aging, hyperpigmentation, and other sun damage. Other than SPF which helps protect the skin and prevent premature aging, retinol is super effective for restoring and protecting the skin. Retinol works by increasing cell turnover in the skin. Usually, our skin renews every few weeks (this varies per person), but retinol enables the skin to renew quicker to reveal baby smooth fresh skin. Retinol is excellent for evening the complexion, removing dark spots, eliminating acne/blemishes, and decreasing fine lines and wrinkles. It also protects the skin from environmental stressors. This is the holy grail of skincare! Because this ingredient reveals our baby skin, it needs extra protection with SPF. You should be wearing SPF on your face everyday regardless, but even more so when using chemical exfoliants and retinols. Keep in mind that starting slow and steady is best with retinol. Start with using it once a week and work your way up slowly. Results are guaranteed with retinol and that’s the best part.

This gets me to the absolute most important and critical step in skincare: SPF. Sun protection is key in skin health. It helps protect you from developing skin cancer while also reducing risk of sun damage and premature aging from the sun. If you aren’t going to use SPF or you don’t use it at the moment, your other skincare products are being used in vain because sun damage basically cancels out all of the benefits from the other ingredients and products. SPF enables your skin and the products you use to work their magic while protecting it too. I know finding a nice SPF is tricky, but I’ve tried and tested many of them. Most leave a white cast, chemical sunscreens burn my eyes, and others are way too oily making me look like a grease ball. My top two favorites ever: Colorescience broad spectrum SPF 50 and Murad City Skin broad spectrum SPF 50. Your sunscreens should always have an SPF of 30 or greater, be broad spectrum, and be a stand alone product. Some products like serums, moisturizers, and oils claim to have SPF, but when sun protection is mixed with other ingredients, it can decrease the efficacy of the SPF, so make sure the one you find is simply a sunscreen. For best results, find an SPF powder makeup or spray you can reapply throughout the day. I know it’s difficult and a pain, but it’s well worth it.