#moisture

Ever since I figured out the difference between slippers and sneakers, I’ve wanted a multi-step skin and makeup routine. I don’t know; it’s something about the elegant/cute/aesthetic packaging drawing me in, and instant gratification after application that always encouraged my unhealthy obsession with skincare products. Something about buying the next new thing and throwing it into my cupboard, always satisfied a little sense of my pride.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I have come to the realisation that less is indeed more. As years passed, and products have lived and perished on my vanity, I have come to the conclusion that no, I do not need 5 products to moisturise my skin. Shocker, right? Especially since I consider myself a young individual, I should be asking myself do I really need this anti-aging serum that just hit the market? I’ve already got a gentle cleanser in the evening, so do I really need another one for the morning? It’s these kind of questions we must be asking ourselves before we make a purchase on the new hottest toner. Because in all honesty, if we strip our skin care routine to the essentials we need cleanser, moisturiser, and protection (for the AM).

I’m aiming this post specifically towards the younger audiences and people who may just be starting to get into skincare. I understand that it’s hard to decipher all this new technology and science that companies have come out with over the recent years- now with the biggest boom of revolutionary cosmetic products since the early 2000s. Statistics have demonstrated that from 2012, the global cosmetic market have seen a shift in the consumer demographic age range from the older to younger audiences. To keep up with the change, companies have changed marketing strategies that would appeal to their new audience through strategies of all natural and readily more acne fighting products. However, encouraging a young and/or uneducated audience to buy unnecessary products can only spell more bad than good.

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Cleanser:

• Role: “A cleanser is a facial care product that is used to remove make-up*, dead skin cells, oil, dirt, and other types of pollutants from the skin of the face. This helps to unclog pores and prevent skin conditions such as acne” Cleanser - Wikipedia
• It is important to understand that a cleanser’s role is not to solve all your skin’s problems. It’s role is to cleanse the uppermost part of your skin, and that because it is not left on your skin for prolonged periods of time its ingredients cannot reach far into the layers of the skin.
• When looking for a cleanser, it is important to understand what your skin needs and what your skin type demands. If you’re dry-sensitive skin is breaking out, and you’ve been doing tons of research on the best acne cleansers but not taking into account your skin type you can cause more trouble than when you started.
• Things to look at: pH of your cleanser (this should be in the 5.5-6.5 range), top most ingredients (this determines what ingredients that are going to mostly affect you), and the options available to you. I personally hate the idea that the more expensive a product is, the more time was taken into the formulation. While this is true in SOME cases, spending $50 on a cleanser that does the exact same thing with the exact same ingredients as a cleanser that is $15 will always boggle my balls.
• Recommendations:
  1. CeraVe Hydrating cleanser
  2. COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanse (even though it says good morning you can use it at night)
  3. klairs Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser
  4. Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel
  5. Ego Azclear Action Foaming wash - (what I’m using at the moment)
  6. Neogen Green Tea Real Fresh Foam Cleanser
  

Note:

* I personally do not rely on my cleanser to remove makeup and sunscreen, as most of my cleansers are extremely gentle and I know the role is more to remove excess sebum and dirt not makeup. I use an oil based cleanser before my water based cleanser to remove the most upper layer of collected oil, dirt, makeup, and sunscreen.

I personally do not enjoy a cleanser completely and unnecessarily stripping my skin of its natural oils. In my opinion, a cleanser should be able to perform its role without having to compromise our natural skin barrier- this means without highly irritating ingredients, leaving a tight and dry feel, and being terribly difficult to remove.

Moisturiser:

• Role: “Moisturizers or emollients are complex mixtures of chemical agents specially designed to make the external layers of the skin softer and more pliable. They increase the skin’s hydration by reducing evaporation.” Moisturizer - Wikipedia
• THIS IS NECESSARY GUYS. I cannot stress enough that regardless of your skin type if you are not moisturising your skin after cleansing (or in general) that your natural barrier could potentially be suffering immensely! I’m not going to go into the science of moisturisers in this post (maybe another one) but the general idea of a moisturiser is to trap the essential nutrients and moisture or restoring the lost moisture. If you are cleansing (which you should be) you are already washing away a good percentage of your natural moisture, so it is important for you to be restoring the skin’s natural moisture.
• Moisturisers can also provide the skin with extra benefits with anti-aging and antioxidant properties.
• It is also important to know the fine line between moisturising enough and too much. Too much moisture can unfortunately result in more acne as the thick layer of occlusives/humectants may not allow for the skin to breath. I personally have found myself crossing this line a lot.
• Oils are a a quick and light way to achieve a plump and smooth texture. Looking for thin and dry oils specifically aimed towards acne prone skin can help with sebum production and provide the skin with added healing properties.
• Recommendations: 
  1. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Overnight Moisturiser
  2. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Riche (heard amazing reviews about this one, it’s worth a go for those with sensitive/combo/dry-flaky skin)
  3. Ego QV Skin Lotion
  4. COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream
  5. Aloe Vera Gel
  6. Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Moisture Cushion

Sunscreen:

• Role: Sunscreen, also known as sunblock and suntan lotion, is a lotion, spray, gel or other topical product that absorbs or reflects some of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and thus helps protect against sunburn. Wikipedia
• I personally can’t say much about this step other than it is vital to the health and longevity of your skin. I haven’t done too much research on what can happen to you if you don’t use sunscreen, other than darkening your acne scars and skin irritation after treatments if not used. As I live in Australia, it is paramount that I use sunscreen everyday to reduce the chances of developing skin cancer (this applies to all regions of the world too). 
• There are two types of sunscreens: physical and chemical. The latter is the one you all probably see the most in stores as it does not leave that greasy white cast that everyone hates. However, I prefer physical sunscreens over chemical ones as instead of absorbing into my skin and causing irritation they sit on top and protect my skin via ingredients that I trust more (i.e zinc and titanium dioxide). 
• Recommendations:*
  1. COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50+ PA+++
  2. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++
  3. Ego Sunsense Sensitive Invisible SPF50+
  4. L’Oreal Dermo-Expertise UV Perfect 12H Longlasting UVA/UVB Protector SPF50+/Pa+++
  

Note: 

*I don’t actually have a lot of recommendations, because I find that I breakout from sunscreens very easily. My experiences with both physical and chemical sunscreens have not been the best, and while I do prefer physical they still tend to lean towards the negative effects more.

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Now I’m not gonna be some up-herself-messiah that comes raining down with knowledge while simultaneously practising everything that I speak of. No, I don’t only use 2-3 products everyday, how will I satisfy the urge to pour oil all over myself? A bit of an exaggeration, I admit, but after years of products it’s hard to go back. What I want to get across though, is that it is not impossible, and that every once in awhile it is necessary for us to give our skin a break. May it be a reaction from a new product or the seasons playing with your skin, I believe once we strip our skin care regimens down to the basics, we can restore our skin’s natural barrier.

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TL;DR: Our skin is smart guys, give it some credit.