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BY VISHWA MEHTA
Are you someone who absolutely relates with the meme ‘When you do skincare but your skin doesn’t care’? While the meme is funny, taking care of your skin is no piece of cake. The products you use, play a huge role but there are several other things you might be missing on.
So here are some skincare tips and tricks to make the most out of your skincare.
1) Cleansing: The star of skincare
Cleansing is the most important aspect of skincare. So, it is of the utmost importance to make the most out of it. Start by carefully observing how you wash your face. You will be startled to know that when we touch our skin, we subconsciously focus on just one part of the area. For example, when we wash our cheeks, our hands primarily focus on just one area neglecting other areas like the side of the jawline or below the ears. We actually skip important parts like jawline, eyelids and the temple. Secondly, make sure your cleanser is not overly stripping. If your face feels too dry, tight or squeaky clean as claimed by the brands, it’s possible that your cleanser is overly stripping. It is actually stripping away your natural oils, giving an illusion that your skin is thoroughly cleansed.
2) Ingredients don’t lie
There are so many products out there, so many claims, and so many celebrities using it. But how do you identify if a product will work for your skin? Turn the bottle and check the ingredient list, because you heard it right- ingredients don’t lie. The ingredients in the list are sorted from high to low concentration, the highest being on the top and lowest on the bottom. So if a product advocates a certain ingredient, verify if the ingredient is mentioned in the top five ingredients of the list. If not, the concentration is not substantial enough to actually benefit your skin.
3) Enemies in disguise
Now that we know a little bit about the importance of ingredients, there are certain ingredients you should probably stay away from because they are not your skin’s best friend. Alcohol is the most common drying ingredient found in a product and the higher it is on the list, the more damaging it can be for your skin. Other than denatured alcohol- mineral oil, aluminium, witch hazel (high concentration), sodium laureth sulfate etc. are some of the ingredients you do not want to be friends with. Fragrance too can cause irritation if present in high concentrations. So check out for fragrance-free products or try a patch test if you like a product with fragrance in it.
4) Layering
You do not want to upset your skincare by using them in the wrong order. Say hello to the golden rule of layering, i.e., go from thinnest to thickest when it comes to consistency/texture. But if you love oils or oil-based products, do not get tricked. Oil forms a layer on top of the water, so make sure oil is the last step of your routine. It doesn’t matter how thick your moisturiser is, adding oil, in the end, will lock in all the moisture for healthy plump skin.
Pro tip: If you love to slather on your favourite moisturizer, then apply it on damp skin for all the goodness to sink in deeper.
5) Face massage
Are you someone who absolutely adores glowing skin and a sculpted face? Just grab a spoon and massage it upwards and outwards after applying your favourite serum or moisturizer. It rejuvenates your face by increasing blood flow and promotes lymphatic drainage. We are almost done, but before that here is a bonus tip for our readers.
Did you know your pillow covers and mobile screens might be the reason for your stubborn acne? Yeah, that’s right, so next time don’t forget to wipe your screen and sanitize them before picking up the calls.
Lastly don’t forget ‘happy people are the prettiest’. So, stay happy and moisturised!