Guest Post: Gentle Skincare (How to Be Kind to Your Skin)

Hi, friends! Today I'd like to share with you the guest post I did for Melissa on her blog Label Twenty Nine. It's a beauty post (wow, shocker) titled, "Gentle Skincare: How to Be Kind to Your Skin." It's kind of an overview of many of the things I talk about on this blog, so if you're looking for some simple tips I highly recommend checking it out. Let me know what you think!

Today I’d like to borrow Melissa’s blog to talk to you about gentle skincare. I see so many people struggling with their skin and going about all the wrong ways to try and fix it. It almost physically pains me to see my friends abusing their skin because they think it’s the best way to go about it. If you’re battling with your skin, I want to share with you all of my favorite ways to keep my skin clear and happy.

 // WASH YOUR MAKEUP OFF //

And no, I don’t mean lay a makeup wipe over your face while you’re in bed. I mean actually wash your makeup off. With a cleanser. I don’t care if it’s 2am and you fall asleep at the sink; at least your face is clean. I could write a book on why sleeping in your makeup is bad, but I’ll just narrow it down to the fact that if left on overnight, the makeup could clog your pores (plus, it’s gross). If you do wash your makeup off at night and still find that you’re getting acne, you might not be washing it off thoroughly enough. I like to double-cleanse whenever I’m wearing makeup. You can use a combination of products to do this, including micellar waters, cleansing oils, waterproof makeup removers, cleansers, and more. You can even use your facial cleanser twice if you find that it’s good at getting off makeup. A good way to test if you got all of your makeup off is if you go in with a toner or makeup remover on a cotton pad—if there’s makeup on the cotton pad, you’ve got some more work to do! Experiment with different products and find out what works best for your skin.

// MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE //

A common misconception is that if you have oily skin, you should skip a moisturizer. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! When lacking moisture, your skin will go into overdrive and produce more oil, which is the opposite of what you want! Instead, try using a lightweight moisturizer, and I promise you you’ll see a difference within a week or two. If you have dry skin and already use a moisturizer, yet you’re still feeling dry, try adding an extra step of hydration! I love pairing my moisturizers with serums and facial oils (like argan oil or passionfruit oil) to make my skin feel really soft and hydrated.

 // EXFOLIATE (BUT NOT TOO MUCH) //

We exfoliate to get rid of the dead, dry skin and reveal the fresh skin. However, there is a method to figuring out how much you should exfoliate, and what you should use. Know that not all exfoliants are created equal, and it can be hard to tell how often to use them. There are scrubs, peels, chemical exfoliants, cleansing brushes, and more. It can be a little overwhelming! To determine what you should use, you need to look at your skin and identify why you want to exfoliate in the first place. Is your skin dry and peeling? Or are you riddled with blackheads? As a general rule, dry-skinned folk do better with AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) exfoliants, since they help get off the top, dead layer of skin. If you have oily skin and/or are plagued by blackheads, a BHA (salicylic acid) works wonders at penetrating deep down into the pore and dissolving all the dead skin cells/dirt/gunk trapped in there. Everyone’s skin is different, and some people find they need to exfoliate once a day, while others once a week and some people in the middle, but you need to try different things to find out what’s best for you.

// BECOME AN INGREDIENT DETECTIVE //

What's your favorite skincare tip?

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