The oft-ignored but essential rule for building an effective skincare routine
By Nica Dobles from THREAD PH
When you hear rave reviews for a certain skincare product, it can be tempting to hit Add to Cart right away and begin applying the product as soon as it arrives on your doorstep. But this immediate, enthusiastic adoption can lead you down a road of pain and disappointment.
Skin concerns, especially acne, can be exacerbated, if not outright caused, by using skincare and makeup that’s actually incompatible with your skin. The truth is, when it comes to skincare, your mileage may vary. No matter how well Product X worked for your friend or your favorite beauty guru, there’s always a slight chance that it won’t work for you. You’d be surprised how much of your skin problems might actually just be due to using the entirely wrong products.
Enter patch testing — a skincare step that we’re all guilty of skipping, but one that’s absolutely essential to building an effective skincare routine.
What is patch testing?
It’s basically what it sounds like. You apply a new product to a small patch of your skin to test if it works for you.
Why would skincare products be incompatible with my skin?
Most obviously, allergies. But depending on your genetics, your skin might just not take to certain ingredients or formulations, no matter how beloved by others (for me, it’s niacinamide). This can cause irritation, pore clogging, rashes, and severe breakouts.
How do I patch test?
It depends on what you’re testing for.
For allergic reactions
Patch test behind your ear or inside your elbow (or some other area of your body that normally ins’t visible). Apply a small amount of the new product to this area. If 24–48 hours go by without any reaction, it should generally be safe to use. But if you want to be extra sure, patch test again somewhere closer to your face (maybe the side of your chin).
For irritants and breakouts
Patch test where your skin is most sensitive and/or prone to breakouts — this can be on your forehead, your cheeks, your chin. The key is to apply on just the right-sized area of skin — large enough to see any negative effects, but not too big that a breakout would be too noticeable.
Apply the new product on this area every day for about a week (make sure you don’t use any other products on this patch at the same time) and observe.
Complicating this process is the fact that if the product you’re using has active ingredients, like acids or retinol, it could cause some redness in the short term (i.e. thirty minutes after application), but this should go away if it isn’t a real irritant. In the long run, though, actives can cause purging for as long as six weeks — meaning your skin will get worse before it gets better.
I’ve never patch-tested before, but I already have a skincare routine that isn’t really working. What do I do?
As hard as it is: start from zero. Stop using all your products and cut back to the gentlest cleanser you can find for a week to “reboot” your skin. Afterwards, introduce products back to your routine one by one, patch-testing as you go so you can really understand what works best for your skin.
We know: it’s a tricky and painful process, but building a skincare routine that actually works for you takes a lot of patience and trial and error. And trust us — it’ll be worth it in the end.
READ MORE:
https://thread.zalora.com.hk/9-skincare-mistakes-you-might-be-making-8ac5839b7f68https://thread.zalora.com.hk/9-skincare-mistakes-you-might-be-making-8ac5839b7f68https://thread.zalora.com.hk/9-skincare-mistakes-you-might-be-making-8ac5839b7f68
