Do we really need all these 'steps' in our routines?

gemmajenkins0208

Hi, just asking out of curiosity really.

Do we really need all of these 'steps' in our daily skincare/haircare etc routines?!

I know people who just splash their faces with water and give it a little rub(to remove any dirt/dead skin i guess) and have lovely skin, and others who do the same and it's nowhere near enough.

I also know people who have a trillion steps to their routines(wash, toner, moisturiser, serum, others creams etc) and their skin is lovely, and again others who do the same and their skin is dreadful.

My skin never really changes much at all. Yeah i get breakouts just before my time of the month just like the next person but other than that my skin is pretty much the same no matter what i do.

The thing is, i have fallen for the ads that say 'you need x,y and z and some more for good skin' and gone out and bought things to use, and i now have a 'stash' of things that need using up, but in a consistent manner but i just can't get myself into a routine in which to make consistent use of said products to notice if it will help or hinder, plus i also want to be MSE and use them up to 1) make space and 2) not waste them by having to chuck them away.

Hmmm :huh:

Hermia

I don't think there is a right or wrong with skincare as I think it is down to your skin type. My mum just used soap and water and a basic moisturiser and her skin was always lovely. I have dry skin, eczema and occasional hormonal breakouts and if I neglect my skin routine I get major problems. I also have a friend whose skin problems were completely cured by that Japanese layering technique which looks very long-winded to me.

You just have to work out what is right for you and treat advice with caution.

chella

I just gently pat my face with a warm cloth in the shower, maybe once a week I use a gentle exfoliator.


I don't wear any concealers or anything other than mascara and lippy sometimes. I think that makes a difference. Having my face caked in liquid concealer and powder in my teens left my face looking terrible.

gemmajenkins0208

I think I am going to just have to really try to formulate a decent routine using what I have(want to use up) and stick to it to see if it helps and makes my skin any better than it is and if there is no change then I'll just stick to a quick rub in the shower once all my products are used up.

Thanks for your input guys

Gemzie121

I have a ton of skincare items as i have fallen in the past for the you must use x y z everyday (magazines tell you all the time you need so many things in your routine), and I'm now working through my huge stash, although I'm enjoying seeing what I do and don't like as I use things up. However, I must admit, I often wonder whether I really need all that stuff as I use micellar water, toner, moisturiser, eye serum, facial wash, facial scrub etc all in my daily routine and my skin is still really bad, and has been my entire life. I actually wonder if my skin is more to do with hormones and maybe I'd still have terrible skin if I just used water as I used to. I can't even blame it on foundation etc ad I don't wear it, just a little concealer on the bits of my face that are breaking out. I'm still in hope that eventually my breakouts will decrease. The moisturiser, washes etc do make my skin either softer or feel cleaner so to an extent I enjoy using them but I do wonder how many products are actually necessary.

gemmajenkins0208

Yeah Gemzie, it just hit me and then I thought I'd write this post!

I think if I try both ends of the spectrum then I'll really get an idea of what's best for me

FBaby

I refuse to spend any money on all those conning false promises! The reality is that your genes will define your skin more than anything else and the only valuable you can do to help is looking after yourself. Don't smoke, drink, stay away from the sun (or use SPF cheap cream), drink plenty, sleep well, eat healthily.

I am in my mid-40s and hardly have any wrinkles, yet I've never put anything on my skin than a cheap mosturiser every morning. The only thing I do is exfoliate once in a while but again, any will do.

When I see how much some of my friends spend on beauty products, which frankly doesn't make any difference at all, and then moan about how they are struggling with money, I really wonder why they bother!

gemmajenkins0208

Yeah, once I've used up all of these products I think a basic wash morning and night, a moisturiser morning and night and sunscreen when I need it should suffice

Horseygirl123

FBaby wrote: »

I refuse to spend any money on all those conning false promises! The reality is that your genes will define your skin more than anything else and the only valuable you can do to help is looking after yourself. Don't smoke, drink, stay away from the sun (or use SPF cheap cream), drink plenty, sleep well, eat healthily.

I am in my mid-40s and hardly have any wrinkles, yet I've never put anything on my skin than a cheap mosturiser every morning. The only thing I do is exfoliate once in a while but again, any will do.

When I see how much some of my friends spend on beauty products, which frankly doesn't make any difference at all, and then moan about how they are struggling with money, I really wonder why they bother!

I agree absolutely. I'm in my mid 50s and have only ever quickly wiped my face with a face wipe and then used a cheap face cream with SPF because I spend a lot of time outdoors. I've got lovely skin if I say so myself:) Oh and I'm usually so tired at night I often don't bother cleansing but I don't wear makeup.

lucia22

My basic skincare routine is classic cleanse, tone and moisturise although I don't tone as often now. In the morning, I feel that my face is pretty clean from the night before so I'll just give it a quick wipe then use a serum, moisturiser and eye cream. At night I use micellar water followed by a facial cleanser (SLS free) if I have been wearing makeup and then serum, night cream and eye cream again. I exfoliate and use a face mask once a week. One thing I need to do is use more sunscreen.

I definitely own too many skincare products but I reassure myself that these are inexpensive moisturisers which mostly cost less than £3 - I refuse to spend too much on facial skincare. My skin is pretty good though I do get some hormonal acne (in my experience this clears up by applying Sudocrem).

Even though I don't think I'm ridiculous, I definitely have too many steps in my routine. When I go on holiday, I cut back by taking only one moisturiser for morning and night, one serum, one eye cream and one cleanser and facial sunscreen, and survive on that just fine.

For me having a facial skincare routine also makes me feel good about myself. I know this sounds funny but I went through a period of depression so now I take care of myself more and it helped my recovery to feel like I was taking pride in my appearance by having my own beauty regime.

gemmajenkins0208

Yeah lucia, I can fully understand if you have been poorly.

I think one of the main reasons I posted this thread was because I'm on the No Buying unneccesary toiletries challenge, and I'm using stuff every day yet not really making any kind of dent in most of it

I have this giant tub of moisturiser that has now got less than half left after just a few uses. Yet I have been trying to use up an old toner to get rid and it doesn't look like it has gone down at all(can see the liquid level through the bottle.

So after that revelation, I just got a bit fed up and asked this question