Part of growing up in our early 20’s is wanting to focus on ourselves more, and starting a skincare routine is definitely a great way of doing that. It’s the easiest physical forms of self-love and a more evident way of treating ourselves right. Plus, who doesn’t want good looking skin?
I don’t know about you, but when I was in college, I went into a phase where I got into makeup. I took my time to do it before going to school. Primer, foundation, kilay, concealer, lip stick— the works. I had time to do it especially because my classes were in the afternoon and it was a good way to kill time after I’ve done my school works. It was one of those things I did that felt very therapeutic, and I needed that small break in college. It certainly helped rid of the stress a little. Besides, it never hurt to look a tad bit presentable.
However, I didn’t really have a good skin routine back then, and the Manila pollution that I had to deal with during my commute to go to and from school certainly took a toll on my skin. I would get frequent breakouts and would have huge noticeable pores especially on my nose area.
MY SKIN TYPE
I have combination skin. This means I get really oily on my T-zone area, but eventually noticed when I actually paid attention— that I also have some dry patches here and there. When I would do my make up, the dry patches would be really noticeable. So I did a little research here and there and found out how important it is to moisturize. Yes, even oily people have to moisturize too. I was surprised when I discovered this too, because I thought it was just going to get me even more oily, but as it turns out, it actually helps control the oil somehow. When our skin dries out, our oil glands tend to be overworking to compensate for that; thus, producing excess sebum that makes us really oily.
It is important to know what skin type you have in order to address your skin concerns accordingly.
SIMPLE SKINCARE ROUTINE STEPS
Lucky for you, it’s easy to start a skincare regimen. Here are simple steps that you could easily incorporate in your day-to-day routines:
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Cleanse.
This could be as simple as washing your face. If you have make up, be sure to remove it first. I personally like using make-up remover wipes because it’s convenient and easy to use. After doing so, you will need a good cleanser that suits your skin type. Look for products that are gentle and has a low ph level. This is because with a low ph, you are able to maintain the acid mantle balance in your skin. Because if that balance gets disrupted, people are more likely to be prone to sensitivity and breakouts. Moreover,
- if you’re oily and/or acne prone, I would recommend using something with salicylic acid or tea tree. (Recommendation: Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle cleanser is probably one of my favorites.)
- if you have dry skin, it’s best to look for hydrating cleansers, those that have hyaluronic acid as an ingredient. (Recommendation: Cosrx Low PH Good Morning gentle cleanser.)
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Tone.
This preps the skin for the next step. It removes excess dirt on the skin, and enables your skin to absorb more of the good ingredients in the serums you would be applying. Depending on what toner you’re using, it also has it’s respective benefits. I personally have two different toners that I switch up depending on how my skin is doing when I examine it at that time.
- A witch hazel toner. This is what I use if I feel like my skin has been fine and I just want to maintain it. It helps soften and smooth out your skin as soon as you apply it. This is gentle, alcohol-free, and it works really well. I really love Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Hydrating Toner. It’s affordable and better than Thayer’s in my opinion.
- A glycolic acid toner. If my skin needs a little pick-me-up and it’s feeling dull, I use this product. It’s a chemical exfoliant which sounds kind of harsh, but it’s much gentler to the skin compared to physical exfoliants. It makes your skin softer and smoother. (Recommendation: The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution)
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Moisturize.
This is important because like I said earlier, it affects how your skin produces oil. Now that the weather’s getting colder and drier, this step also helps locks in the hydration in your skin keeping it supple and healthy looking, which we all want. I personally like using The Ordinary’s Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA because it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin, but it keeps it hydrated for long periods of time. It also doesn’t have scent, which I love, because that means they’re keeping their ingredients as simple as possible, and not adding a bunch of unnecessary things that you don’t need.
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Protect.
The last step is applying sun screen on your face. I read that one of the benefits of doing so is that it helps with reducing wrinkles and fine lines when you get older. Another thing it does is that it prevents your acne marks from getting darker. It helps to make it fade quicker and less noticeable because you’re not allowing the sun to affect it that much. I like using bb creams that already have SPF in it like the ones from Missha’s. However, if we’re talking about just a regular sunscreen, then I would have to say that Etude House’s Sunprise Airy Finish SPF 50+++ would be my go-to.
There’s more to skincare than what I stated here, but I believe this is enough to get you started. I might make a blog post in the future about diving deeper into skincare and the other skincare steps that enthusiasts do so watch out for that!
All love, FriedFilipinaFeelings.
fried filipina feelings 