Skincare – My 52 Week Project

Skincare Products – Serums

Serums are generally light, ingredient dense products, with very few additives. They penetrate skin deeply, and as such, they should be applied early on in the skincare routine, making sure they don’t have to penetrate through much for full absorption. Given the high concentration of ingredients, you really don’t want to be layering serums –Continue reading “Skincare Products – Serums”

Skincare Products – Exfoliators

Exfoliators help remove dead skin cells from the skin’s surface, and helps to ensure that skin stays radiant and pores don’t get clogged. When we’re younger, our skin naturally sloughs skin, but this process slows down as we age. Exfoliated skin also absorbs skincare products better, ensuring that you’re getting the most bang for yourContinue reading “Skincare Products – Exfoliators”

Skincare Products – Cleansers

Why it’s important Cleansing is important as it helps to remove oil, sweat, dirt (and other remains of pollution), and dead skin cells from your face. They also help to unclog pores and exfoliate the skin, ideally without stripping the top layer. If you’re not face-washing, you might actually be hindering the absorption of yourContinue reading “Skincare Products – Cleansers”

Skincare Ingredients – Brightening

Many individuals suffer with dark spots and hyper-pigmentation, which leads to skin tine which appears duller and uneven. This is caused by an accumulation of melanin in your skin; skin brightening agents work to block the enzyme which is generally responsible for the overproduction of melanin. Hydroquinone: This is a “skin lightener”, which helps withContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Brightening”

Skincare Ingredients – Surfactants

These ingredients are generally found in cleansers, attracting water and oil off the skin. Some pull too much off the skin, leaving skin feeling dry, but most are appropriate for all skin types. Decyl Glucoside: Given that it has a large molecule structure, this surfactant absorbs less into the skin than others, allowing it toContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Surfactants”

Skincare Ingredients – UV Protection

There are generally two types of ingredients that are usually found in sunscreen that protect against UV rays: physical (or mineral) ingredients and chemical ingredients. While physical ingredients block, reflect and/or scatter the sun’s rays, chemical ingredients absorb them and transform them into heat. Common Physical Ingredients: Titanium dioxide: Great for sensitive skin, it protectsContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – UV Protection”

Skincare Ingredients – Emollients

When your skin is dry and/or cracking, there are open spaces between your skin cells. Emollients (as an ingredient) help fill those gaps, giving you softer and more even skin, while also sealing watering within the skins barrier. It’s great for most skin types, the only exception being overly oily skin, given that most emollientsContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Emollients”

Skincare Ingredients – Antioxidants

Our bodies purposefully create free-radicals to help protect us from viruses and bacteria. Specifically, these are highly unstable and and reactive molecules with at least one missing electron. In order to stabilize, they attack stable molecules (trying to steal their electrons), which is great when they’re attacking things we don’t want. But this stealing ofContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Antioxidants”

Skincare Ingredients – Other Exfoliants

Our skin is constantly sloughing off dead cells, but dry and/or ageing skin can have a harder time shedding these cells, leaving skin that looks rough and pasty. These dead cells can also clog pores, leading to adult acne. Exfoliating helps to remove these dead cells, uncovering “fresher” skin. There are two types of exfoliants:Continue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Other Exfoliants”

Skincare Ingredients – Not Yet Classified/Other

As my education continues, I hope I’ll be able to better categorize these, but until then, this will have to do: Benzoyle Peroxide: A great acne fighting ingredient, benzoyle peroxide inhibits the growth of p. acnes, a bacteria that can cause acne. It also reduces excess oil as well as dead skin which can clogContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Not Yet Classified/Other”