If, like me, you rode the crest of the collagen wave in your teens and 20s, not really realising that a quick wash with whatever bodywash was in the shower, drying your face with the same towel you dried your pits and bits with and a slathering of Nivea in the white tub wouldn’t cut it in your late 30s onwards…this blog is for you!
Here's your Easy, Effective Skincare Routine
Before the advent of TikTok Trends (🤮) and the realisation that SPF is the best anti-ageing product available FULL STOP. For many of us, skincare wasn’t really a thing.
We slept in our makeup, only used moisturiser if our skin was feeling tight…and we smothered ourselves in carrot oil and baked ourselves at any opportunity.
Fast forward a few decades and many of us are now battling the pigmentation, laxity, saggy jowls, fine lines and deep wrinkles we’ve seemingly, unwittingly, inflicted on ourselves.
If you’ve come to the realisation that it’s time to sort out your skincare, here’s what I now do…from someone who started sorting out their skin at 38!
Skincare should be simple, effective & affordable
For all. Skincare is universal. Kids, teens, men, women. Anyone with skin should be taking care of it. It is, afterall, our largest, most visible organ.
And it’s where EVERYONE should start. Please don’t be jumping into injectables until your skincare is on point.
The good news is that you don’t need a complicated 12 step routine. You don’t need a shelf of crazily expensive products. You do need a sustainable routine that cleanses, treats, hydrates, exfoliates and protects your skin.
What does a good, basic routine look like?
You can get big bang for your skincare buck with a three step routine, morning and night. Takes about 5 mins. Gives BIG results.
A solid basic routine looks something like this:
MORNING
01. Cleanse - if your skin is on the drier side, a balm cleanser removed with warm (not hot) water and a clean flannel is ideal. If you’re oilier, a gentle foaming cleanser with salicylic acid is perfect. You can pick up decent cleansers in your supermarket shop.
02. Treat - A good Vitamin C serum boosts the effectiveness of any SPF, helps even skin tone and reduces pigmentation. Formulation is important - the most effective have 10% L-ascorbic acid, but you might find these irritating. So find one that works for you.
03. Protect - Applying a broad spectrum SPF30+ daily is arguably the best thing you can do for your skin. UV is THE biggest cause of skin ageing and is largely avoidable. There’s a huge variety of sunscreens available, for dry skin, oily skin, tinted, clear, mattifying. Find one you like to use and use it every day.
EVENING
01. Cleanse - as am. If you’ve worn makeup, you may like to double cleanse.
02. Treat - This is where the damage is undone.
For anti-ageing - Retinol, retinoids, tretinoin…these are all versions of Vitamin A. This is one of the clinically proven skincare ingredients to actually address the signs of ageing. It works. But you need to go low and slow. And be consistent.
Start with a low concentration, like 0.25%, and go slow, by applying a pea-sized amount every 2nd/3rd night…if your skin gets irritated, use after moisturising.
Many people go too hard, too fast with retinoids, which sensitises their skin and makes them flake and itch, then give up. The aim is to work up to applying retinoids every night, if you can. And then, once your skin is accustomed, you can increase your concentration. You can start with over-the-counter products, moving up to prescription tretinoin when your skin is ready.
Remember, go LOW and SLOW.
You may have other skin concerns in addition to wanting to reduce the signs of ageing. This might require you to add in serum containing another ingredient into your routine. For example:
For pigmentation - arbutin and hydroquinone
For redness - azaleic acid
For oiliness/visible pores - niacinamide
02. Exfoliate - On one or two of the nights you're the nights you're not using retinoids, you should exfolliate.
Step away from the St Ives scrub. Exfoliation should be done once/twice a week with an AHA/BHA toner. Skip your Treat step on the nights you exfoliate...unless you want to really irritate your skin!
03. Hydrate - Some people find that their serums are hydrating enough. Others need an additional moisturiser. These needn’t be expensive. A moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and ceramides will help prevent waterloss from the skin.
8 weeks of consistently following a skincare routine that’s right for you can transform your skin.
Book a consultation with a Skin Pro at glowday.com if you’re confused.