Imagine this, you just went on a skincare haul and have a box of fresh skincare. You then try everything at once at are itchy with breakouts all over. Then you slap on a bunch of stuff you saw on TikTok and your skin glows bright red. Then you just put aloe on your face and hope for the best. Instead of going down this wary path, try these 3 tips that I've found helpful over 14 years of having a skincare routine.
Incorporate 1 Product at a Time
Repeat after me "One at a time. One. At. A. Time". I know it's super tempting to try everything you just bought at the same time but please take it one product at a time. If you jump into trying more than one product at a time then you run the risk of irritating your skin and not knowing which product caused the irritation. When you take it one at a time you know exactly which product irritated your skin so you can respond accordingly.
Carefully Respond to Sensitivity
Let's say you try a product and you do have a reaction. Please don't just dump a bunch of stuff on your face. Take the time to look at yourself in the mirror and asses the irritation. While there are many types of irritations/reactions your skin could have, here are a few that happen with me and how I respond to each:
Red/Blotchy Patches: This one happens most often when I try a new toner and it doesn't work well with my skin (which sometimes includes a stinging feeling). First thing I do is wash my face. Then I skip the toning step. Next I'll go for my Josie Argan & CBD oil to sooth my skin. Lastly I use my Krave Beauty Oat So Simple moisturizer. This method removes any residue from the irritating product and provides my skin with soothing and simple ingredients to let my skin repair itself.
Whiteheads: I'm guilty of this too but avoid popping your pimples haha Now, since we're not going to pop them, we can exfoliate. After cleansing my skin I reach for the Innisfree Pore Clearing Clay Mask 2x and place it everywhere I need to get the gunk out of my skin (including whiteheads). Then when it's dry I wet my hands and lightly massage in circular directions. After the massage I use a warm towel to wipe the product clean and follow with a toner and moisturizer. That way I can shake up what is stuck in my skin so it can see itself out my face 😂
Fungal Acne: For me, fungal acne occurs when I'm in a super humid environment for a long period of time per day, for several days and I haven't exfoliated in more than 4 days. So when it does pop-up I make my evening routine less moisturizing for 1-2 nights so my skin can balance itself out. I do this by replacing my moisturizing toner with the Krave Beauty AHA exfoliant then follow with a simple moisturizer like the previously mentioned Oat So Simple, which gives me just enough moisture but not too much.
Note: You can learn more about different types of breakouts (fungal acne, milia, whiteheads) here.
Try New Products at Night
This is a useful tip that has come to me over time. Trying skincare products at night gives you the time to respond to an irritation when it happens. It also allows for you to notice how your skin responds to a product for a long period of time.
Note: There are a couple exceptions to this tip:
If you mainly are awake/working at night then try the new products a few hours before bed.
If you're trying a sunscreen you can to a patch test at night then make sure to wash it off before bed.
There you have it! 3 tips for tying out skincare. Hopefully these tips are as helpful for you as they have been for me over my 14 years of having a skincare routine!
If you have any skincare try-out tips, leave them in the comments 💜