Proper skincare

[amamaso28]

Well 2019 came and I decided I wanted to become more proactive with my skincare regiment. Well fast forward to now and I'm still overwhelmed with what's right and what's wrong. I've tried many variations and I can't seem to figure it out. I have combination skin but the skin around my eyes and neck are sensitive. I need help and more knowledge. 

[WinglessOne]

@amamaso28 

Are you having trouble finding the right-for-you products for a very basic routine (wash, maybe tone, moisturize, AM sunscreen)? Or are you trying to add new things (vitamin C, exfoliation, etc) beyond those basic steps? 

Since skincare can be overwhelming—SO many products to choose from, so many ingredients to consider, and lots of individual skin variables—I start by deciding what my goals are: what skin issue(s) do I want to address and what specific results do I expect. That info helps me narrow things down to the types of products. 

From there, I look at those products’ ingredient lists, research any ingredients I don’t know (INCI Decoder is one of a few helpful sites for that), check product reviews (Beautypedia is a decent starting point, but I take all their reviews with a handful of salt; I like to check customer reviews, particularly negative ones, for common themes), consult a dermatologist (or medical aesthetician; eh, I trust my derm), look for reviews/feedback from other derms, and then patch test a sample of the product on myself. Patch testing is key if your skin’s sensitive, or if you have any known irritants. 

[quspork]

Do you have any products that you're using right now, @amamaso28? A basic starter routine is the best for begin and then you can build on that to target any specific issues you want to tackle. 

The most basic routine would basically be:

Morning:

1. Cleanse (depending on your skin. Some people, like me, prefer to just rinse with water in the a.m.)

2. Moisturize

3. Sunscreen

Evening:

1. Cleanse (if you wear makeup, I highly recommend using a double cleanse routine so starting with an oil-based makeup remover followed by a cream cleanser)

2. Moisturizer

[amamaso28]

I do that right now but it's so hard finding the right products... I have extremely sensitive skin around my eyes, so I have to be careful.

[quspork]

Do you know what ingredients you're sensitive to, @amamaso28?

[amamaso28]

I have no idea, I’ve been trying to figure it out but its hard

[HunterKathleen]

I would recommend looking through the r/SkincareAddiction subreddit. That place is full of skincare fanatics and it’s a great resource for finding specific advice, product recommendations for your skin issues, and a detailed list of what types of products are used for/how they affect your skin/etc. It helped me figure out what I needed to do to keep my skin looking pristine!

[amamaso28]

What is this?