It’s been said that ‘too much of anything is bad for you’. Before you invest serious money on dozens of skin care products, you might want to consider the fact that you might be ‘overdoing’ your everyday skin care regimen. The wrong combinations of ingredients and layering of too many different kinds of products may actually be detrimental to your overall skin health and cause you problems.
While it’s true that each skin type has its own unique requirements, in most cases adding more “add-on” products to the recommended regimen for a particular skin type isn’t what the skin wants – in fact one of the lesser problems might be a disruption of pH levels. Using too many skincare products frequently shifts the skin’s delicate balance with a tendency to either become too oily, or irritated and red.
The skin is like an ecosystem having its own natural processes. To prevent it becoming unbalanced, a minimalistic approach to your skin care routine is best.
Negative Effects of ‘Layering’ with Incompatible Ingredients:
“Piling” happens when a particular product doesn’t absorb into the skin, rendering it useless in providing desired results. Layering of too many ingredients, such as comedogenic oils, heavy serums and foundations can make your skin suffocate! This in turn causes pore blockage, leading to acne and blemishes. Mineral oils, Silicones and Mica are the worst offenders, ingredient-wise, and can really fast track skin problems.
If you’ve ever attended a chemistry class, you know that certain chemical combinations may not only prove to be inert or ineffectual, but can also produce adverse results. Similarly, the natural ingredients used in skin care products contain strong phytochemicals that are reactive in nature. You could educate yourself in herbal/botanical Ayurvedic lore in order to avert these sorts of skin care disasters..OR..You could find a company that produces 100% organic Ayurvedic Skin and Hair Care products under the guidance of one of the best Ayurvedic chemists in the world and leave it to us!
When Should you Stop Using Too Many Combinations
Switch to only one kind of a skin care regimen when you notice these changes:
- If your skin behaves sensitive, red, itchy, stingy or flaky and becomes prone to frequent breakouts.
- If your skin looks oily all the time and even mattifying products don’t work to give effective results.
- If you feel too much skin tightness.
- If you notice hyperpigmentation and dark spots that don’t fade easily. This is very common if you are overusing acid peels and harsh chemicals.
Switching to a Minimal Skincare Routine
While some product combinations work magically on one type of skin, the same routine may not work at all for another skin type. Choosing your ideal skin care regimen depends upon what predominant skin type (or Ayurvedic dosha) you are.
Depending on the type of dosha, choose a product that contains the right set of ingredients to balance an out-of-sync dosha. The “base” (such as cream/butter/lotion/serum) that house the concentrated skin superfoods also play a key role.
Sequence of an effective minimal skin care regimen.
Daily Protection
Step 1: Cleanser
Take about 1cm of any of our Cleansers (Daily Foaming/Pore Perfect/ SBR) in the palm of your hand and apply it on damp skin. Use gentle circular motions to remove acclated makeup & grime and rinse. Leave slightly damp.
Step 2: Facial Toner/Hydrator
Close your eyes and mist (conversely you can spray into the palm of your hand and apply that way) about 3-4 pumps of any of our Hydrator/Toner (Daily/Pore Perfect/SBR) and leave slightly damp. Using a toner is a vital part of the skincare regimen as it ensures accelerated as well as economical effectiveness of Serum/Moisturizer.
Step 3: Peptide Serum
Use 1 pump each for face, neck and décolleté area. Can be used up to 2X times a day.
Editor’s Pro Tip: Natural anti-aging products contain antioxidants, which breaks down with exposure to light and air. When a product is packaged in a jar, it has higher chances to become less and less effective with repeated usage. Therefore, always use a dark pump bottle such as BioScience Peptide Complex or tube packaging with a roll on applicator such as the Eyeline Prevention Oil to get maximum effectiveness till the last drop.
Step 4: Regenerating Serums
Moisturize, increase the effectiveness of peptide serums and activate collagen synthesis with regenerating serums – Collagen Boost Serum, Rejuv Serum and SBR Serum. Follow the same instructions as that of peptide serum.
Step 5: Eye Treatments
Daytime formulas such as the Aloe Eye Serum can be used frequently during the day on the eye area to tighten eye contour and reduce puffiness.
When using the night time formula, pat a few drops of Eyeline Prevention Oil around the eyes before bedtime as a last step in your skincare regimen to reduce crow’s feet.
Step 6: Sunscreen
SunProtect SPF30+ is a lightweight formula and a small amount (dime size) is enough to block the harmful UV rays over the entire facial area. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen over exposed skin areas such as neck, décolleté and arms. Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours when swimming, sweating or towel drying. Sunscreens should only be applied during the day time.
Weekly/Occasional Protection
Exfoliation Masks or Scrubs
Masks
After cleansing, apply Papaya & Honey Exfoliation Mask & Scrub or SBR Papaya & Honey Facial Mask evenly in a thin layer and leave up to 1 hour. The product should be applied 2-3 X times a week. Follow up with treatment serums.
Scrub
After cleansing, apply a small amount of Papaya & Honey Exfoliation Mask & Scrub to damp washcloth and gently work in circles on the skin. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry. The product can be used by oily skin individuals up to 1X per day. Follow up with treatment serums.
On the Spot Treatments
This is a special treatment which you can use occasionally to clear blemishes overnight. Take a small amount of On the Spot Blemish Treatment Day/Night mask and apply it only to the blemish area. You can also use the Day Mask (with Bentonite White Clay) to hide blemishes under makeup. Read the full instructions here.
Guidelines to Avoid “Product Piling”
Here are some general guidelines to avoid overdoing product piling and increase the effectiveness of the active ingredients:
- Order: Apply products from thin to thickest consistency after cleansing, i.e., Toners/Hydrators followed by Serums and Oils. This is because heavier products can block the light weighted products from penetrating into the skin and deliver the desired/targeted results. Heavier products also ‘seals the deal’ and locks the actives and moistures inside.
- Patch Testing: If you have sensitive skin, always do a patch test 24 hours prior to full application upon first usage. Discontinue immediately if swelling or itching occurs.
- Application Size: More is not always better! Just because a product absorbs quickly doesn’t mean you need to add additional product. Look at the instructions above to learn about the right application sizes so as to encourage penetration and stop product piling. Amount of product used will also change according to climatic conditions.
Still have some questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We love hearing from our clients, and consider you to be an important part of our business.
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