Thursday

Welcome to Thursday! Today, we're chatting about:

• If a simple or complex skincare routine is better

• How to decide what your skin needs

• Boost your mood with e-Bikes

• Skincare ingredients you should avoid mixing

Is it Better to Have a More Simplistic or Complex Skincare Routine?

Like fashion, home decor, and other areas of life, skincare routines go through trend cycles.

Multi-step skincare processes have been popular in Korea for years, but have recently become more popular in the rest of the world.

Many believe that simply removing your makeup at the end of the day won’t cut it, and a 7- or 9-step (or more) routine is the way to go.

But should cleansing, toning, dermaplaning, exfoliating, oiling, moisturizing, and masking be the norm, or is less actually more?

Before jumping headfirst into a 10-step skincare routine, it's important to be aware of how it may impact your skin.

One potential downside to lengthening your routine is mixing chemicals that should never be mixed.

Some chemical combos can cause your skin to be more irritated, and others actually cancel each other out. For example, applying benzoyl peroxide oxidizes vitamin C, rendering the normally glow-inducing serum useless.

However, these problems can easily be avoided by checking labels and doing your research.

Some people — especially those who are acne-prone, have sensitive skin, or have other skin conditions — may also find that a multi-step routine makes their skin more irritated.

If multiple skincare products are an important part of your self-care routine, that doesn't mean you can't have one! You can still enjoy your multi-step routine — just be cautious about the products you’re layering and how they may interact with one another or your skin.

However, unless you enjoy an extensive nightly ritual or have specific concerns you're addressing, there is no need to stress over a complex routine. If you prefer a more simplistic skincare routine, that can definitely be effective, too!

Remember: Skincare is never one size fits all.

Skincare Ingredients You Should Never Mix

Whether you're in the process of building a multi-step skincare routine or simply adding a new product to your usual lineup, it's important to be aware of how different products can interact with one another.

Some products may cancel each other out and simply be ineffective. However, others can be seriously irritating to your skin.

For example, vitamin C works best in an acidic environment, while Retinol (vitamin A) works best in an alkaline one. It's more effective to use vitamin C in the Retinol and Retinol at night.

Here are a few different combos you may want to avoid:

• Retinol and vitamin C

• Benzoyl peroxide and hydroquinone

• Retinol and vitamin C

• Retinol and AHAs

• Dapsone, aka Aczone, and benzoyl peroxide

• Hydroquinone and AHAs

• Vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs)

• Retinol and benzoyl peroxide

• Vitamin C and benzoyl peroxide

• Retinol and salicylic acid

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How To Decide What Your Skin Needs

Every week, it seems like someone is raving on social media about a new skincare product or ingredient they've added to their routine.

Unfortunately, many of these ingredients haven’t been around long enough to determine their true effectiveness. Not to mention that everyone's skin — and skincare needs — are different!

With all of these new products and ingredients, it can be difficult to determine what will be safe and effective for your skin.

• Take it slow: Rather than trying to buy a bunch of products at once, it's much better for your skin to introduce one at a time so you know how it impacts it.

• Evaluate your skin's type and condition: Is your skin dry or oily? Does it have redness or other concerns you'd like to address?

• Do some research: Look around for products that are proven to help with specific concerns, like dryness, acne, and so forth.

• Stop using something if it irritates your skin: The worst thing you can do is try to use up a product that's clearly causing more problems. See if you can return it, give it to a friend who may be able to use it, or just throw it away if it's irritating!

If you want to dabble in different routines or products, experts recommend only introducing one product at a time and waiting two weeks before introducing a second one.

It’s also important to be realistic when developing your skincare routine. Too many products can be daunting for some and deter them from practicing skincare at all. If your ultimate goal is to develop clean and healthy skin, you might only need a couple of products — like a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen — to achieve that.

A Note From Us

Parting Thoughts

• ✅ Did You Know: 90%! Our skin is extremely delicate, so it's critical to protect our skin from the sun.

• 🙋🏼‍♀️ Snapshot Of The Day: We'd love to see moments from our readers lives that they are proud of! If you recently accomplished an achievement, experienced a joyful moment, or are proud of a picture you have taken, be sure to capture it on camera and send it to us for a chance to be featured next week! 

• 💭 Final Self-Care Thoughts for Today: Take a few extra minutes today to show your skin some love!

Enjoying Note to Self?

Know of a great self-care tip or article you'd love to share with the community? Want to send us pictures of you completing one of your self-care rituals? Email us at [email protected]!