Finding the perfect skincare routine can be a painstaking process—most of the time, your skin suffers from all the wrong products you use along the way. But have you ever wondered why your products are not working for you? Below, five reasons why your routine isn’t cutting it.
1. You overestimate your products.
Some people stop using their trusted brands after noticing that it doesn’t give them the same dramatic results as they did before. This is actually normal—it means your skin is already well-maintained. You should only switch when you notice your products are causing you problems, like when your moisturizer suddenly causes your skin to itch.
2. You don’t listen to your skin.
Ever heard of the “If it stings, then it must mean it’s working!” myth? Stop. Believing. Them. There is a reason why your skin reacts that way, so if you notice any signs of inflammation like stinging or redness, drop your product. But what about those advertising themselves to sting first, then work later? When in doubt, always consult a dermatologist.
Stick to products that are specially formulated with safe, gentle ingredients. Try Avene’s Extremely Gentle Cleansing Lotion, which comes with Thermal Spring Water for gentle, skin-friendly cleansing. It has a light lotion texture that won’t suffocate the skin, and soothing, anti-irritating, and inflammatory properties that allow even those with the most sensitive skin to use it.
3. You use ingredients that clash.
You may have found the perfect moisturizer, but is it compatible with your toner? Sometimes, specific ingredients in your beauty essentials just don’t work well together. For example, Vitamin C may help reduce brown spots, but it doesn’t complement products that adjust pH levels. So when used with an ingredient like AHA—which adjusts the pH level of other beauty products—the brightening effect of Vitamin C might not be as noticeable. Since it can take too much effort (and research!) to check if every ingredient will work together, the next best solution is to stick to products under the same skincare line.
4. You don’t give products time to work.
Are you guilty of trying something and then stopping after two or three days when you don’t notice results? How fast you notice improvements actually depends on the product. If it is an acne-treatment, then you should expect to see changes quickly. However, if you’re targeting dark spots, then you need to wait weeks, sometimes even a month, to see improvements. Give your products time to work. Your skin will also thank you for not jumping from one brand to another and leaving it irritated.
5. You’re using the wrong products.
With potentially dangerous ingredients, specifically. We've all been there: We're so desperate to solve our skin problems that we don't pay attention to ingredients, as long as they work. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unregulated chemicals that can cause serious harm to our skin. Some of those that you should avoid are: Triclosan, which are said to make bacteria resistant to antibiotics, fragrances, which when mixed with other components can cause dermatitis and allergies, and Toluene, which can irritate the skin.
Try Avene’s Skin Recovery Defi. This high-tolerance soothing face cream has zero preservatives to make sure it is safe for the skin, and is formulated with Parcerine, an ingredient for hypersensitive skin types. It contains a Pierre Fabre active ingredient which lowers the skin’s reactivity and helps calm down irritation, 70 percent Avene Thermal Spring Water, ten percent paraffin, six percent Glycerine, and four percent plant based squalene. Since it doesn't include any artificial color or perfume, this product can also work even for those with sensitive skin.
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