Back to Basics

The thing about sensitive skin is that you have to be careful how many different kinds of products you’re using, especially if you’re introducing new products to your routine. Back in the fall of last year, I purchased a bunch of actives – niacinamide, lactic acid, retinol, vitamin C, you name it – and started using them on a daily basis.

It took some time to research how I should be using my actives. Which actives could be layered, if any? Would I use a certain active in my AM routine or PM? What actives did not belong in the same routine? After a good amount of studying, I figured out how to use all the actives I had purchased, and I was ready to go.

At first, everything was going great. I felt like my skin was clear, hydrated, and looking exactly how I wanted it to look. But then, after a few months of using at least a couple actives every day, my skin started getting angry. I had breakouts on my forehead, which is a part of my skin I’ve never had an issue with. My cheeks were getting parched. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.

So for the first time in a really long time, I made my skincare routines extremely simple. I cleansed, moisturized, and sealed with oil, using masks occasionally. I felt like I was wasting time I could be using to make my skin better, but I knew that my sensitive skin wasn’t able to handle all the products that I thought would make it better.

It’s been about four months since I’ve switched to a simple routine, and my skin has returned to normal. I’m starting to slowly make use of all my actives again, but I’ve learned what “less is more” really means. Taking good care of your skin doesn’t always mean piling on the product – sometimes it means giving it a break from everything you’ve been wanting to experiment with, and letting it adjust to any changes you want to make. Turns out double cleansing with gentle products, applying a good amount of moisturizer, and remembering to wear sunscreen is sometimes all you need. Plus, my bank account’s been happy that I haven’t been adding to my already large skincare collection! If you’ve been doing a lot of new things with your skin and have been unhappy or concerned with your results, maybe going back to basics is something you can try.