Overwhelmed! 😪

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

Outside of a daily face cleanser, I’ve never bothered doing much more. I recently heard about BHA, PHA, AHA toners, etc. and got caught into a wormhole of information. After a Sephora run, I got Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner 5.07 oz/ 150 mL and First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Coconut Water Cream as a recommendation, but outside of this I don’t know where else to go. I’ve ran into a few questions:

1. How do I know which other products to add to daily skincare routine, if even necessary?
2. Is it necessary to still use a daily cleanser even tho the toner is acting as an exfoliator?
3. Toner says to pat into skin and to avoid rubbing, but how am I supposed to add the moisturizer without rubbing?

Is there anywhere else I can go to continue educating myself on this stuff and how I can apply to myself? 

[LilaMJ]

Hi @Anonymous ! It is super important to cleanse your face, moisturize, and wear sunscreen. The advice people have already given is totally amazing! I’d recommend a gentle cleanser like SEPHORA COLLECTION ClearSkinDays Clarifying Cleanser . I love SEPHORA COLLECTION All Day Hydrator - Hydrate & Glow 1.69oz/ 50mL ! A popular sunscreen is Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Invisible Broad Spectrum SPF 40 PA +++ 1.7 oz/ 50 mL . Have a great day! 😊

[missjeanie]

@Anonymous I second what the ladies below have told you already.  

Just because there are routines with 17 steps doesn't mean you need to follow all 17.  I have tried out a lot of different routines over the years and lots of them work.  The trick is playing around with some well thought out products that suit both your skin and your routines.  

My personal opinion is that starting off with the basics then adding in as your knowledge about the products and your skin as your skin adapts to a routine. Generally all routines consist of a gentle cleanse and moisturizing.  I'd echo that a standalone SPF over 30 should be one of your most important steps in the morning. If you stick to something simple and find your skin is still is dry or it's oily and you can pin point any other concerns there are a lot of people on here who are always willing to make suggestions.  

I know going to see a dermatologist isn't always in everyones budget depending on where you are, but they can be a wealth of knowledge for you.  

Hope you let us know how things are going with your new products!

[meou]

@Anonymous @quspork did a fantastic job answering your one off questions and as for additional education I'd say your best bets are any of the following depending how you like to consume knowledge 

• Get a dermatologist or aesthetician - they'll best be able to tailor recommendations to your skin and they'll be able to answer all your questions 
• Follow dermatologists and aestheticians on instagram - they make really smart posts in infographics that can teach a lot. There's also cosmetic chemists and scientists who will provide info as well (some great accounts funskincare, sciencebecomesher, ranellamd, babeandbeauty, dermguru, thedallasaesthetician)
• Youtube! Just be mindful that a skincare influencer is providing their opinion which may or may not be backed by scientific evidence. But you can also find some derms and aestheticians there too like Dr. Dray or Dr. Sam Bunting.

Otherwise I'm sure people on the forum are also happy to help provide direction and guidance. But similar to the influencer a lot is based on personal experience and skincare is deeply personal so what works for one person might not work for you 

[quspork]

@Anonymous In addition to using cleanser and moisturizer daily, I'd recommend also getting a good sunscreen for daily use. The toner you picked up is fairly mild as far as exfoliators go, but even so, I'd introduce it slowly maybe 3x a week and work up to using it more often, after you've tried the moisturizer for a couple of weeks to make sure your skin doesn't react negatively to it. 

To answer your questions, what else to add besides a sunscreen, really just depends on your skin's needs and what issues you wan to address. Yes, it's necessary to use a cleanser daily. Exfoliators don't cleanse skin, they just help speed up cellular turnover. You still want to cleanse off all the dirt, dust particles, makeup, and dead skin cells. Patting is just the toner application method. It doesn't have anything to do with the moisturizer application method.