Scouting the aisles of your neighborhood supermarket, you see tons of skincare products that promise to make your skin look better than it is now. It can get really confusing especially when you hear the news that some beauty products like Belo products are cancerous. Of course, you cannot believe all these lies.
What you can do is to know the basics of taking good care of your skin and buy those products that are basically paraben-free and dermatologically tested safe. That’s the first step. The problem is we keep on forgetting the basics. Fret not, below are some tips for healthy skincare.
Basic Skin Care Tips
Before we proceed to the actual tips, there are three steps involved in skincare. These are cleansing, moisturizing, and using sunscreen. You should not skip a process if you want to achieve smoother, suppler skin.
Cleansing
When you cleanse, you are actually removing grime including dirt, debris, excess oil, dead skin cells, germs, and residual products you applied to your skin. Thus, cleansing is a vital part of the process and must be done every day.
Some people, however, experience having dry skin after their cleansing routine. There are some who even think that if their skin isn’t feeling a little dry after they cleanse it, the cleanser they use is not working. Not true.
It only means your choice of a cleansing product is hurting your skin, making it more sensitive and not actually improving its texture and all. The normal pH of our skin is 4.7, and we often forget that fact. If your skin feels dehydrated after cleansing, it means the product is disrupting or upsetting the skin’s balance.
Further, there are at least three types of cleansing products in the market: bar soap, liquid cleanser, and facial cleansers. Bar soaps are best in removing grime and other pollutants.
However, they have thickeners that seep deeply into the skin’s surface, causing acne and other skin irritations.
Liquid cleansers, on the other hand, are more tolerable. However, they are not advisable for people with oily skin because liquid cleansers are too gentle to be as effective on the oiliest skin as with normal skin.
Facial cleansers are the gentlest, but may not remove all the dirt and oil on the skin.
Bottom line: Find the best cleanser for your skin type—the one that won’t make your skin feel dry to be clean.
Moisturizing
Although you’ve already found the perfect, non-drying cleansing product for your skin, you still need a good moisturizer. At its most basic, moisturizing should be able to protect sensitive skin, prevent and treat skin dryness and help maintain the skin’s structure.
Further along, some of the best moisturizers on the market contain glycerol, ceramide, and niacinamide. Glycerol helps water and moisturizing agents to penetrate the skin. Ceramide and niacinamide assist in replenishing the natural oils in our skin. The latter also aids in reversing the signs of skin damage, especially those that are caused by too much exposure to the sun.
With the same principle with choosing a cleanser, you need to consider your skin type when selecting a moisturizer. For oily skin, a water-based moisturizer must be used. Pick a non-comedogenic product or a product specially formulated to prevent blocked pores.
For dry skin, choose an oil-based or petrolatum-based moisturizer for excessive skin dryness because they retain water better and longer. These moisturizers are also good for aging skin, especially those with antioxidants.
If you have sensitive skin, you must be extra careful in selecting a moisturizer. Preferably, choose one with soothing ingredients like aloe or chamomile. Avoid products with potential allergens such as those with scents, dyes, or acids.
It is best to use a moisturizer after taking a bath or washing when the skin is still well hydrated. We also tend to forget about this—that moisturizing works best when the skin is at its most hydrous.
Using sunscreen
The final step of the skin regimen is applying sunscreen to your skin especially the face. Although not actually forgotten, some women are not too keen on using this without realizing the fact that sun exposure now will take its toll on the skin later in life in the form of wrinkles and dark spots.
Compared to the first two, we can easily see if our skin needs cleansing or moisturizing. However, with UV radiation exposure, it’s hard to tell the damage. We just know that it causes skin damage.
We need to be proactive about the process of using sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Make sure that it can protect your skin from both UVA and UVB.
What we don’t know about using sunscreen is our skin absorbs such after 15 minutes. So it’s useless to apply sunscreen when you are already outdoors. Reapply after two hours covering all bare skin.
Don’t aggravate all the cleansing and moisturizing you do by exposing your skin to the skin without using sunscreen. Make all these three a daily habit, and you’ll surely have healthier skin in no time. That and choosing the right skincare products.
FAQs
What are the basics of skin care?
Cleansing is the first step in any skin-care routine. Make sure to use a face wash designed for your specific skin type. If you have acne-prone or oily-combination skin, consider using a cleanser containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. If you have normal or combination-type facials, try using alpha-hydroxy acids, which can brighten and help reduce pigmentation.
What is the most basic skincare routine?
The most basic skincare routine involves cleansing the skin with a good face wash. This should be done every night before bed, so that no makeup remains on your face. The best way to cleanse the skin is to use a makeup remover wipe, but not to use them as a facial wash. These wipes contain too many chemicals, so you must cleanse your face. After you have removed all your makeup, you should moisturize your complexion, then apply a skincare product that contains retinol or exfoliating ingredients.
What are the tips for daily skin care?
It’s important to follow the correct skincare routine every day. This is especially true for people who don’t like the smell of certain skincare products. Applying products too frequently may result in them not being as effective as they could be. It’s better to apply lightweight lotions and creams than to use heavier creams that may cause piling. To prevent piling, allow your skincare product to sit on your face for at least 15 minutes before applying it.
