Supporting Your Skin
In a world full of options, skincare is no exception. Walk down the aisle of your local grocery store, or your local retail store and you are bombarded by skincare products. You see them advertised on tv, in magazines, and on social media. It can get overwhelming.
Then you buy one product, or two, or the entire line thinking you are doing something good for your skin only to be disappointed that your skin still looks dull, you still have acne, and you feel let down by the celebrity behind the line for leading you to believe your skin would look as luminous as hers.
There are a lot of amazing skincare products out there, but for as many amazing ones there is an equal number of bad ones. If you don't know what to look for and if you don't pay attention to what your skin is telling you, you could be wasting your time and money.
First of all your skin is smart, how can it not be it's the biggest organ in your body? I won't get into all the scientific facts here, but your skin plays an important role in temperature regulation, immune defense, vitamin production, and sensation. With so much responsibility no wonder it is susceptible to so many disorders. That is why it is important to pay attention to what it is telling you so you know what to put on it, or not to put on it.
If you are the type of person that breaks out easily if you struggle with rosacea, or eczema then the last thing I would do is recommend a 12-step skincare regimen that has been popular for the last couple of years. You already have reactive skin and manipulating it with a ton of ingredients will most likely increase the risk of irritation.
Applying all those products isn't necessarily awful, especially if you are one of the few blessed humans (aliens?) out there that can put anything on your face without any consequences. If you are one of those aliens then you can stop reading this and continue your 12 steps! God bless ya. But, for the rest of us doing a 12-step routine could eventually break down your skin’s natural protective barrier and leave you more frustrated and confused.
We aren't a one size fits all society (aliens do exist) but a lot of product claims will lead you to believe that we all need a cleanser, sometimes a double cleanser, a toner, an eye serum, an exfoliant, a serum, a mask, and a moisturizer. What if instead of feeding into the hype, we listened and paid more attention to what our skin is telling us, and took a more supportive approach?
Instead of trying to manipulate and change our skin with an insane amount of products, what if we kept it simple and just supported it with ingredients that are designed to support what your skin naturally wants to do on its own, to protect and heal?
Unfortunately, there's more to just what you put on your face. There may be hormone imbalances, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and diet that affect how your skin looks. Unless of course you are one of those genetically blessed humans (aliens?) who can eat, drink whatever they want, put anything on their face and still wake up looking amazing- again stop reading and god bless ya.
First, pay attention to your skin. What is it telling you? Is it red, irritated, and or dry from last night’s bottle of red? Ask, how can I support my skin today? What does it need? The answer might be just moisture and a lot of water. Simple.
There are a lot of wonderful ingredients we can choose from that support our skin. For example, the ingredient jojoba oil which closely resembles human sebum, the oil your skin naturally produces, mimics the structure of the skin protecting and keeping it moisturized. Another ingredient Niacinamide, which is made from Niacin in our bodies, is required for the proper function of fats and sugars in the body and maintains healthy cells. When you apply it topically it can also help to protect and moisturize the skin.
A big marketing factor that should be on our radar when choosing products is skincare companies claiming to be "clean", and "natural". What does that mean? Water is considered clean and natural but if you drink too much of it it can kill you. That's extreme, but the point is we should be paying more attention to what those "clean" and "natural" ingredients are. Propylene glycol is made from petroleum which is a "natural" ingredient, but why would I want to put that on my face? It has been processed from something we use in our cars called gasoline. No thank you.
Finding the balance to it all can get confusing but it really shouldn't be. Less is usually more and ingredients matter. I know it's tempting to buy the latest thing out there, especially when that celebrity tells you you need it. But, take a moment to check in and see how your skin is doing. Maybe it finally looks amazing and you don't need to do anything but what you are already doing! Or maybe you need a little something extra like a DIY hydrating honey mask.
Finding a routine and products that work for your face is possible and doesn't have to cost a fortune or have you spending hours in the bathroom. Pay attention to ingredients, and how they can support your skin, do your research, and check in with your skin and ask it what it needs. OR have someone do it for you! I am here for you and would love to help you find your dream skin- don't worry I am not a celebrity or an alien.