Simplifying Skincare
Want to look 20 forever? Of course you do, but how do you start? Before you go vampire mode and reject your humanity, JoJo, you need to learn about the macromanagement of skincare.
The Macros
Wash hands. Cleanse face in the morning and at night with a facial cleanser.
Moisturize face in the morning and at night.
Wear sunscreen (seriously do this religiously). The sun is a deadly laser.
Avoid touching face after routine.
Hydrate and get 8+ hours of sleep.
Exfoliate skin at least once a week.
Change pillowcases and shower towels regularly. Sleep on your back.
For Covid-19, change face masks regularly.
The Micros
This will be an outline that you are free to alter in any way. Keep in mind to do research and do experimentation because you are unique. Products can come with supporting acids, since skincare is chemistry, so see this fantastic article which will explain all the different acid terms that we are throwing around. Dispose correctly your expired products. Ensure that the product is non-comedogenic so it is less likely to clog pores and lead to acne.
I highly recommend creating reminders for skincare events, e.g. writing it down or having a calendar event. Create reminders for exfoliation day, sheet mask day, pillowcase changes, shower towel changes, bedsheet changes, retinoid application, etc. Use lukewarm water for products. Don’t miss your jawline when cleaning. What is the correct order to apply skin products? This is the order I recommend:
Cleansing
Facial cleansing will remove dirt, oil, and other unwanted debris because throughout the day, the skin on your face is continually covered with bacteria, pollutants, viruses, dirt, and old (dead) skin cells. At the bare minimum, wash your face every night, but you should wash in the morning as well; while you're tossing and turning at night, bacteria from your saliva and oils from your hair are easily transferred to your face and eyes.
It's best to wash your face with warm/lukewarm water: Hot water can strip the skin of its natural oils and cold water doesn't allow the pores to open to remove dirt. Cleanse gently with the product, in circular motions. First, figure out your skin type with an assessment. These are the types:
Normal skin: This skin type doesn’t experience excess dryness or oiliness, and is generally free of visible pores, acne and sensitivity.
Dry skin: Skin is considered dry when it lacks water and natural oils. This skin type may have rough texture, visible lines and wrinkles, dullness, and loss of elasticity, as well as increased sensitivity and a tight, uncomfortable feel.
Oily skin: Oily skin produces too much sebum, and is likely to experience enlarged pores, blackheads, pimples and unwanted shine.
Combination skin: This skin type has areas of dryness and areas of oiliness. It’s common to have dullness and rough texture in some spots and enlarged pores, blackheads and shine in others (especially around the nose, chin and forehead).
Sensitive skin: Sensitive skin types tend to react to external factors, including skincare. Signs of sensitive skin can include stinging, burning and redness.
You would then need to pick a product to match well with your skin type. It does not need to be a complicated product, it could literally be “Gentle Skin Cleanser for all skin types”. See this article breakdown to learn the different types of face cleansers.
Toners
Toners are light, liquid formulas used to reset your skin’s pH back to 5.5 so it can protect itself from bacteria and harm. The pH of your skin can be thrown off for any reason. Ensure your toner has good alcohol. The most common way to apply toner to your face is gently with a cotton ball or pad. Toners can come with extra benefits that target specific concerns:
rosewater, which has anti-aging properties
chamomile, known for its calming qualities
salicylic acid or witch hazel for fighting acne
Moisturizing
Use your moisturizer quickly after cleansing and toning/facial spray, if applicable. Use FACIAL moisturizer and not body moisturizer, ideally with Vitamin C, which are specifically formulated for the face.
Your moisturizer could have properties of sunscreen if it says SPF [some number]. It’s fine to combine the “moisturizer” and “sunscreen” step with one product.
Wear sunscreen with “broad spectrum protection” everyday, especially on days that are intensely sunny outside. Nobody wants to age prematurely. Having sunscreen on is better than having none on. According to cancer.org, “SPF 15 sunscreens filter out about 93% of UVB rays, while SPF 30 sunscreens filter out about 97%, SPF 50 sunscreens about 98%, and SPF 100 about 99%”, so have at least an SPF of 30 for A+ protection.
There are AM and PM facial moisturizers for a reason. Do have two moisturizers for two separate times if you can. This is because AM ones will obviously be more tuned for the day time, and vice versa.
Exfoliating
The frequency of exfoliation will have high variance and what will work for Person A may not work for Person B. Over-exfoliation is very bad. The variance will entail some people exfoliating only once or twice a week, while some people will exfoliate every 2-3 days, so figure out what works for you! This article will heavily breakdown why exfoliation is important. There are two kinds of exfoliators, mechanical and chemical, and it’s important to figure out which kind will work for you:
Mechanical exfoliation can cause microtears if you are too rough when you are exfoliating: Don’t push the product, guide the product gently in upward circular strokes. A pure mechanical exfoliator, usable by many unless you are allergic to the particle, would be a particle based scrub while a pure chemical exfoliator, which requires a patch test, would be a chemical peel, which will obviously use chemicals to attack the bad stuff. You need to do a patch test because you don’t know how your skin will react to the supporting chemical. A combination exfoliator would be an exfoliator with fine particles or makes you rub that is imbued with some chemical support, like AHAs. Learn about gommage for these hybrids.
The reason why I recommend exfoliating during the night is because your product could contain AHA, a supporting acid for exfoliation, which may increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun (our biggest enemy) and risk sunburn possibility, but this is no issue if it is night time.
Humidity
A huge trap you can fall into is not considering humidity levels, and I was a victim of this. Humidity is the amount, usually in percentage, of water vapor in the air, independent of temperature. Low humidity is very bad for your skin, but very high humidity is also bad so a balance is needed, and the ideal humidity level is 30% - 55%. A 30 percent drop in humidity could lead to the formation of fine lines, and can potentially decrease skin elasticity, increase skin roughness, and worsen already present skin conditions.
Low humidity also snowballs into other physiological problems. BC dorms’ forced hot air heating system environment is very dry. If your sinuses dry out, your body can make your nose runny to overcompensate. This is very bad because you might awake with a cracked feeling with a dry mouth due to being forced to breathe through your mouth with a clogged nose. The effects of low humidity are intensified during the winter months. The solution is to get a humidifier and place it in an elevated position.
FAQs
1. What sort of products should I buy/trust?
The products that will work for you are for you to figure out since your skin configuration is unique because you are unique. Explore, experiment, and then have an arsenal. I put my trust into Asian products, specifically Korean skincare products. My current arsenal is not all foreign, although I plan for majority foreign products in the future. In general for buying products, more organic is nice, a simpler ingredient list is better, function over brand, and avoid bad alcohols.
2. As a guy, should I be afraid of getting started?
Nope. Glowing skin is universally good.
3. What is your skincare product arsenal and routine in order?
Morning:
Cleanse (Generic “Gentle Skin Cleanser” for all skin types): Nothing too complicated, this is a functional product.
Toner (Neutrogena Alcohol Free Toner): Non-comedogenic, no alcohol. Currently N/A since I ran out of cotton pads.
Facial Mist (Clean Beauty Deep Hydration Facial Mist): Hyaluronic acid plumps skin as Aloe Vera soothes skin.
Moisturizer (La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer UV Broad Spectrum SPF 30): Super functional, and is facial moisturizer and sunscreen. Oil free, lightweight Broad Spectrum sunscreen, non-comedogenic, fragrance free.
Lip Balm (Neutrogena Lip Moisturizer with Sunscreen SPF 15): Petroleum Jelly is a substitute, but that doesn’t offer sun protection.
Sunscreen (Thinksport Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+ (3oz)): This is a thick sunscreen that WILL fight the sun for you. I’ll wear this if I’ll be out in the sun for long.
Night:
Cleanse (SKINPASTEL Honey Sweet Cleansing Foam 150ml): I use this rather than my generic morning cleanser because I believe the day time build up is more.
Exfoliate (Quret AHA Egg Peel Gel): I will use this gommage product after cleansing. Gommage combines chemical exfoliation through the use of enzymes (AHA) with mechanical exfoliation through the action of rubbing with the albumen extract. The lemon extract is also nice to have since it is an antioxidant.
Toner (Neutrogena Alcohol Free Toner): Non-comedogenic, no alcohol. Currently N/A since I ran out of cotton pads.
Facial Mist (Clean Beauty Deep Hydration Facial Mist): Hyaluronic acid plumps skin as Aloe Vera soothes skin.
Moisturizer (CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion): Niacinamide will help calm the skin while I sleep, plus hyaluronic acid and ceramides will help hold on to moisture and restore the skin's barrier while sleeping.
Lip Balm (Petroleum Jelly): I don’t need to worry about the sun so I use this or ChapStick.
Retinoid (Retin-A (Tretinoin Cream)): After I finished Accutane, this is part of my MWF routine. My dermatologist describes it as “stopping the horses from running out again”. I rarely see any more pimples, and if I do, it’s from admittedly touching my face at times, or being stressed.
Besides that, I just remember to follow the Macros. I will roll my face daily if I have the time; I throw the jade roller in the fridge. I ensure my humidifier is running 24/7 and cleaned regularly. I make sure to drink water throughout the day and always get at least 8 hours of sleep. I haven’t used sheet masks (buy in bulk) in a while, but I would highly recommend doing so.
The ideal day is to wake up with 8-9 hours of sleep, have no stress about time because you have everything planned the day prior. Front-load your calories, e.g. Get 20% of calories in breakfast, then 55% in lunch, then remaining 25% during dinner with adequate hydration and a running humidifier. Workout 4 - 5:30 pm with a soft square towel nearby, dinner at ~6 pm then shower and finish night skincare routine at around 7:30 pm. I’ll shift everything forward by 1 hour if my workout starts at 5. I floss my teeth in the shower to stop myself from snacking too late because I’ll be too lazy to floss my teeth again so I'll force my body to be in a fat burning state by the time I sleep. I then plan out my next day, mentally outlining a general plan and on an Excel spreadsheet for the specifics. For skincare, I begin by checking the weather (how intense is the sun?) and will set my clothes up and all the needed products by the table. I don’t spend time in the morning wondering what to wear and wondering where my skincare products are at; this is unnecessary stress that should be mitigated.
4. How can I fight against acne?
Buy an appropriate cleanser that contains salicylic acid. Listen to your dermatologist or doctor and apply the needed creams. Really be mindful about face touching throughout the day. You need to be constantly changing pillowcases (ideally every 1-4 days depending on your laundry schedule and pillowcase amount), bed sheets, shower towels (at least every week), and ideally sleep on your back. Measure your pillow height; a pillow height between 4 inches and 5 inches is ideal for adult back sleepers.
5. Okay, but what if it’s like ACNE?
Consider Accutane treatment. Speak to your dermatologist about that. I had cystic acne and committed to the Accutane program so I can nuke my acne forever. I went through it, and I would definitely go through it again. You go through increasing doses, monthly dermatologist visits, and will have to deal with dry lips. Art is worth the pain.
6. When should I start and commit to a skincare routine?
Immediately. Don’t make the mistake that I did: I neglected my skin for years and paid for it dearly. Treatments like Accutane are restorative, turning an 65 to an 85, yet getting back a 100 is not plausible, and it will not undo compounded skin negligence.
7. What should I do if I feel like my skin is constantly “bad”?
Take the steps to resolve and improve your skin. Don’t compare yourself because some people are literally paid to treat skincare as the Bible. Understand that no one will look at your face that closely because talking distance is not mirror distance. By putting in the time and effort, your knowledge and consequently, your skincare routine will improve and be more perfect. Nietzche says the ascended Übermensch will consider man to be an ape, an embarrassment, looking back, and when you learn more about skincare, you will feel the same way about your old skincare routine. There is just no end to skincare perfection.
8. How can I minimize my pores?
How to Unclog Your Pores: Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) are the holy grail of ingredients when it comes to penetrating and "cleaning out" your pores.
How to Tighten Your Pores: Use Retinoids. See this article.
You need a dermatologist prescription for Retin-A, but Retinol can be purchased over the counter. Retinol is a vitamin A-based topical product to smooth wrinkles and brighten dark spots, and to stop acne and shrink pores. Retinol's magic is the result of its ability to increase your skin's collagen production, while simultaneously decreasing its oil production, which leads to smoother skin, fewer breakouts and blackheads, and tighter pores. I apply Retin-A on MWFs.
Next thing you can do to not maximize your pores is to wear sunscreen. "The sun breaks down your skin's collagen, which is responsible for keeping your face firm and elasticized, so you're left with larger pores and stretchier skin after repeat exposure," says Rachel Nazarian, M.D., dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology in New York.
If you have the money (around $300 per session, and you'll need at least three of them, though the results are permanent) consider lasering for pore problems.
9. Should I shower in the morning or at night? Should I do my skincare routine in the shower? How can I micromanage my hair care?
A morning shower can wake you up, yet if you need this, you are likely not getting enough sleep in the first place. Assuming you get 8 hours of sleep, a shower will clean only 8 hours. One thing you can lose by switching to night showers is getting rid of bed hair, but you can still wet your hair and put your hair in place.
I would go with a night shower since it will clean way more than 8 hours. Another question you can have is if it would be a good idea to do some part of your skincare routine in said night shower. You technically can, yet care that the shower water is not hot, since lukewarm water is ideal. This is the pros and cons:
Cleansing In The Shower - Pros
Speed: When you cleanse in the shower you’re killing two birds with one stone. Cleansing in the shower cuts down on time, plus you don’t have to do any additional prep work.
Opens Pores: Showers produce steam to gently open your pores. Steam can help dirt, oil or excess sebum release from your pores to get a deep cleanse.
Ease of Use: You can cleanse your jawline and neck without worrying about how awkward it would be to rinse it off..
Cleansing In The Shower - Cons
Hot Water: Hot water is the enemy of healthy skin as it dries it out and can interfere with its barrier function. Avoid very hot water on your face to avoid stripping it or unnecessarily dehydrating skin.
Duration: You probably wouldn’t wash your face for more than a few minutes standing by a sink but in the shower your skin could be in constant contact with warm water for several minutes. This could remove necessary oils and harm your skin’s barrier function as you are removing too much moisture from your skin.
Cleansing After The Shower - Pros
Shampoo and Conditioner won’t touch your face: Multitasking can be good but cleansing your face and using shampoo/conditioner at the same time can allow some crossover between products. This might make your skin oilier particularly if you use deep conditioning hair products. Keeping products separate ensures that you aren’t accidentally irritating your skin with fragrant shampoos or conditioners.
Can Moisturize Immediately After: If you cleanse your skin over a sink you can rinse off and immediately apply moisturizer thereafter. The best practice is to apply moisturizer when skin is still damp.
Cleansing After The Shower - Cons
Time-consuming: Separating your shower and cleansing routine doubles the time spent in your regimen. If you’re really pressed for time you may end up skipping washing your face which is a big no no if you want to keep your skin happy and healthy-looking.
Don’t get the steam effect of open pores: You only get the steam room effect in the shower. Your pores may not open with your sink routine so you’re missing out on the deep clean your skin may otherwise get in the shower.
As for hair care, you do not need to shampoo your hair everyday. Shampoo every other day, or 3 times a week. If your hair is superfine and prone to greasiness, condition less often. I made some hair mistakes until a hair stylist pointed out that I don’t need to shampoo everyday and that I really don’t need to conditioner, given my hair type. When you shampoo, make sure you use the right type of shampoo for your hair type and scalp type. Read this article to figure out your matching shampoo type.
When you get out of the shower, your hair will be wet. Do not scrape your head with your towel because this will cause tears. Don’t brush wet hair, comb with a wide-tooth comb, or use your fingers. If you got the time, then ideally let your hair air dry naturally.
I used to use hair products to style a quiff hairstyle, but I switched over to the curtains hairstyle. This means I won’t need to use hair products due to a hairstyle choice. Consider a hairstyle that can be styled without product, potentially avoiding hair damage.
10. Can literally anything and everything be related to your skincare routine?
Yes.
11. Why is it important to sleep on your back?
This is objectively the best sleeping position. Most importantly, you are not pressing your face against something.
12. Anything extra I can do?
Yes, buy a jade face roller. These tools will reduce under-eye puffiness & dark circles, tighten and minimize pores, tone facial muscles over time, enhance the absorption and effectiveness of topical products, increase circulation, and promote lymphatic drainage. Also buy Korean sheet masks and use them regularly.