Tell me what my skincare routine should be.

[redheadbaker]

I put this in the other skincare routine thread, but not sure if people are still reading. 

I feel like I'm reading the original makeup thread, and I'm completely confused about what 99% of this stuff is, what products I need, etc.



I'm 37. I wash with Pure Eco Bamboo Clear Water Cleansing Gel and put on Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.



I'm skin care stupid. Someone tell me what my routine should be, please?
Or tell me where to go to figure it out. 

[jaycee]

What are your skin care concerns? What type of skin do you have (dry, oily, acne prone, etc)?

I think the most important skin care product is sunscreen. Get yourself a daily sunscreen.

Here is an awesome youtube video that describes a good skin care routine. It is by Hot and Flashy. She does a ton of research, tests so many products, and is super picky, so when she recommends something I know it is good. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E0_GyWsnWE

[followyourarrow]

Double cleansing is the biggest thing for me. Cleansing with an oil, then a gel/foam/cream.

[bowies]

I'm also 37 and somewhat acne prone at the moment. Gothamista was a revelation to me.

youtu.be/Es8Fa9JcY1A
youtu.be/7-Ysosgly6g
youtu.be/eJ6IYOHI12w

[redheadbaker]

Jun 27, 2017 14:35:00 GMT -5 jaycee said:

What are your skin care concerns? What type of skin do you have (dry, oily, acne prone, etc)?

Thanks! I think my skin is combination. I think my main concern is aging. 

[ESF]

Here are the basics:

A mineral sunscreen
A low pH cleanser
An oil cleanser
A moisturizer

Everyone needs all four of these, though if you use a moisturizer with mineral sunscreen, then you can kill two birds with one stone. Though you may want a sunscreen free moisturizer for the evening.

The oil cleanser breaks up your makeup and sunscreen better than regular cleanser. The low pH cleanser gets rid of the oil residue and restores your skin's natural pH balance, reducing breakouts and dryness.  The mineral SPF provides better sun protection than chemical SPF.

You don't need the oil cleanser in the morning, and some people just use water in the morning, no other cleanser.  You do need to double cleanse at night though.

There are a million other components that you can add on, but I recommend starting there, and once you find products that work for you, then figure out your next steps. 

[jaycee]

Jun 27, 2017 15:08:11 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Jun 27, 2017 14:35:00 GMT -5 jaycee said:

What are your skin care concerns? What type of skin do you have (dry, oily, acne prone, etc)?

Thanks! I think my skin is combination. I think my main concern is aging. 

If your main concern is aging, I would consider seeing a dermatologist.  He/she can prescribe Retin-A for you, which is one of the only products that has been clinically proven to help the signs of aging.

[SallyJ]

Cleanser: dual cleanse is better, so one oil and one regular soapy type but low ph.

Active: these fix skin problems like aging, spots, acne. For aging maybe consider getting new skin to turn over more frequently using acids, or something that will help with anti oxidants or collagen boosting like vitamin c.

Serums: these are like nutrients for your skin to help with texture, balancing, extra hydration. Consider things like nianicimide, hyaluronic acid, snail mucin.

Moisturizers: important for aging skin, healthy skin, and prevent extra oily skin.

Sunscreen: use daily. High spf. Don't skip.

[ElizabethBennet]

I'll echo what everyone else said, and agree that the most important steps that you could be doing right now are double cleansing and SPF.

A lot of this is just trial and error. I would also recommend that if/when you start adding new products that you only try one new thing at a time, as tempting as it is to try everything all at once. If you do introduce more actives into your routine, like chemical exfoliants, start really slowly with these-like start with one product every other night and gradually build up to a consistency that works for you, and wait 4-6 weeks before introducing a new active.

[wawa]

So...what don't you like about your current routine? Or rather your skin with your current routine? Because that will help inform what goodies we tell you to run out and buy.

but for the basics - which the pp's have covered and I totally agree with:
cleanser - ditto the rec for an oil cleanser to remove makeup/sunscreen. So far my favorite is the Boscia make up breakup (at Sephora). But I'm cheap AF and that shit ain't...so...I'm continuing to test new ones. Innisfree juicy apple is next on my list. Or i might go back to my good old OCM, but I do see the appeal of an emulsifying oil cleanser. And then follow it up with something foamy like your cleansing gel. I can't find anything at all online about the pH of that particular foaming cleanser - so I'd consider switching it out for something with a known low pH? (either cerave foaming cleanser or the cosrx good morning are readily available and reasonably priced. Pick one of those. Cosrx smells like tea tree. cerave smells like nothing) Unless you love it, in which case...then KOKO with it. I'd add a pH adjusting toner after just in case though if you decide to keep it. Something like the Pixi glow tonic would work (available at target)

Moisturizer - if you like your current gel moisturizer, then keep that. Nothing wrong with it. If you don't like it - what don't you like? Do you want it to be lighter or heavier?

Sunscreen - I really love the Biore Watery Essence and the various iterations of the face milks. I think bright is my favorite. Watery essence is amazingly light and easy to wear. The face milks have a bit more oomph, but still dry down matte and not sticky or greasy and also have a mix of chemical and physical sunscreens which seems like a good hedge on bets since I see mixed opinions on which to use. It also makes a pretty damn good makeup primer. So...get one of those. Use daily. www.amazon.com/Biore-SARASARA-Bright-BIHADA-Sunscreen/dp/B0012WTI62


Now...there's a whole world of other stuff. I personally really enjoy layering all kinds of things on my face so I've got steps upon steps. None of which are neccessary. Most of which I find fun.

One of the things I love that I feel like everybody should love is the Hadalabo premium hyaluronic solution. It's unscented, very plain, gently slippery and feels like I'm drenching my face in hydration. My skin doesn't tend to lack oil but it does lack hydration at times - so a combo of that stuff and regular use of a facial mist (I like the mario badascu rose one) keeps me all bouncy and hydrated.

[bowies]

If you're looking for recommendations on cleansers I'm using the Heimish All Clean Balm (found on Amazon, you get a lot, and cheaper than anything at Sephora) and the Clean & Clear Essentials face wash for sensitive skin (got it for under $5 at CVS with coupon, also a substantial size).

[redheadbaker]

Jun 28, 2017 9:25:16 GMT -5 wawa said:

So...what don't you like about your current routine? Or rather your skin with your current routine? Because that will help inform what goodies we tell you to run out and buy.

I feel like I have large pores. But I read something that said if you take a few steps back from the mirror and you can't see them anymore, they aren't excessively large.

My T-zone tends to be oily while my cheeks are normal (not dry).

That's about it. I just wonder if I should be doing more.

I had a 20% code from Ulta, so I got Burt's Bees cleansing oil.

Then I had a $10 off code at Ulta and got Sunday Riley CEO C+E moisturizer and Ole Henrikson Truth Serum.