harrys
Iron
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2020
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Introduction-
Similar to my last definitive guide about leanmaxing/fat loss which you can check out here, taking care of your skin is another relatively simple way to raise your psl as a softmax and often underrated. It won't matter if you have ideal ratios if you're covered with pus filled acne, hyperpigmentation scars and skin texture and moisture reminiscent of sandpaper. In this guide I will outline the optimal skin care routine and short reviews of the science behind why you should follow it. I want to make this advice definitive on this issue which will mean this thread may be a little long but read it all it contains valuable information. The face is the first thing people look at, this has been scientifically proven so pay attention to it, remember if you're not skinmaxing you're not looksmaxing.
THE skin care routine
1- Cleanser 1- Twice Daily Oil Cleanser
2- Cleanser 2- Twice Daily Main Cleanser
3- Exfoliation- Once Weekly
4- Face Mask- Twice Weekly
5- Exfoliating Toner- Twice Daily
6- Essence- Twice Daily
7- Active Ingredient- Morning- Once Daily
8- Active Ingredient- Night- Once Daily
9- Moisturising SPF- Twice Daily
Explaining the routine
As you can see I've included two cleansers as opposed to one, the reason for this is because your skin needs it especially when your applying multiple active ingredients daily. Furthermore double cleansing is relatively new practice and works by initially using one gentle oil cleanser to non-abrasively cleanse your skin whilst moisturising it. After this you follow up with your main cleanser that may include ingredients such as salicylic/glycolic acid to thoroughly cleanse your skin optimally preparing it to absorb and take on the following steps. I can't recommend double cleansing enough, in this case more is better. That being said though this may not work for everyone as you may find that your skin is extremely sensitive which is rare but is a possibility so experiment and see if that issue pertains to you.
The next step involves using a physical exfoliator to exfoliate your skin, they usually consist of small beads or natural ingredients that physically exfoliate your skin to induce your skin cells to turnover and get rid of dry and dead skin. Many people recommend doing this daily or even every other day but frankly speaking using a physical exfoliator to that degree is an outdated practice which may do more harm than good. This is because you are getting rid of skin cells that don't need turnover or exfoliation which strips away natural glow and oils. You'll find that people who do that have a a shiny, matte like texture which is not desirable. I recommend using it once a week because the effect of brightened and smoother skin is instant as such I'd use this before going out on one day of the week you want your skin to look better than usual.
After this I recommend using a face mask, face masks depending on the type can be used to control and treat different issues you may have. For example some face masks are catered to acne and hyperpigmentation whilst others focus on pore display and excess sebum control. What kind of face mask you need depends on your unique problems with your skin therefore I can't recommend the use of one particular type of face mask because it isn't universal. Naturally if you have acne issues then use face mask geared towards that and vice versa. Exceeding the use of a face mask more than twice a week may cause your skin to dry up and become flaky and in time become oilier than it used to be so use in caution.
Moving forward to the next couple of steps in the routine I suggest an Exfoliating toner, this is a toner that consists primarily of AHA (alpha hydroxy acid), BHA (beta hydroxy acid) or both. The benefits of using a toner that exfoliates is that not only is it gentle enough to use daily thus giving the desired smooth glow on a consistent basis but it also moisturises and nourishes your skin which is key for this routine. They come in many different forms such as spray or apply but they all do the same thing. An essence once again is a Korean skincare practice soon becoming popularised in the west, it reinforces what the exfoliator does but its primary purpose is to give you a glow and retain moisture within the skin. I'd also like to add that these are somewhat optional depending on your budget, time and skin issue especially the latter but there aren't enough downsides to not consider these two things especially if you want to go the extra mile for your skin. Which should be everyones motive.
The next step is using an active ingredient, this is one of two active ingredients what will be directly treating your skin issue. For most people this issue is acne as such I'd recommend 5% benzoyl peroxide, the reason I recommend this is because it is what cured 70% of my skin issues, The way it does this is by using potassium hydroxyquinoline sulphate, an active ingredient that reduces the micro bacteria on your face therefore reducing the acne. Typical side effects of benzoyl peroxide are dry skin, irritation and redness. Although its benefits are enhanced by the effective cleansing and exfoliation which allow it to work better as well as the moisturising offered by this routine which quickly dissolves the side effects. You only need a small amount of this daily spread evenly on your face and I recommend using it at night as opposed to the morning because it may take longer for the side effects to subside due to the exposure of UV rays. Many people instantly jump to using treatments like Tretinoin and Accutane however these are treatments that have aggressive side effects and when looking at other anecdotes they provide short term relief. One way to describe it is like an alcoholic drinking more alcohol to get rid of last nights hangover caused by excessive alcohol. You need to address the issue not mask it and then rebound which is what implementing a consistent and well built routine will avoid and do the opposite of. That being said if your skin issues aren't resolved with benzoyl peroxide then you will need to scale up your treatment but once again that doesn't mean jumping to the most aggressive one.
The final step of this routine is to use a moisturising SPF, as you may have noticed unlike other common routines I've advised using a two in one moisturiser and SPF. In most cases two in ones in general aren't as effective in focusing on both of these things which is to provide moisture to the skin and to protect and reverse damage done to the skin by UV rays. This damage can show up in terms of darkening skin complexion and redness in the cheeks and near eye area and of course not using a moisturiser leads to dry skin which then leads to excess sebum which THEN leads to acne which can cause a whole host of other issues like scarring in it's aftermath. However I believe that moisturising SPF creams provided that they are high quality are much lighter whilst still being moisturising as well as being more cost effective and less time consuming. In regards to the degree of SPF for the sake of simplicity I will say this, SPF 50 is the definitive degree that you need and so any lower isn't as effective but any higher creates a substantial effect of diminishing returns. You may also choose that instead of using this both day and night you could a moisturising SPF in the day then a richer, pure moisturiser in the night which is a change I'll be making soon.
The other active ingredient in this routine is geared more towards a goal of yours for your skin as opposed to purely treating an issue. This may be wanting to brighten your skin complexion, improving the texture or retaining more moisture. This means that this is "customisable" if you'd like and depends on what you want, some common active ingredients used are Vitamin C to brighten skin tone and improve hyperpigmentation scars or Hyaluronic Acid to improve skin hyrdration and add collagen to maintain a youthful face. I'd recommend using this active ingredient in the morning because often they provide instant effects that will improve the way your skin looks throughout the day so its ineffective to waste those benefits whilst sleeping. I should warn though once again that for people who do have extremely sensitive skin using two active ingredients may be too much so experiment and see what works for you. Its easy for me to write this and give you a cookie cutter plan but not every single aspect will work for every single person, that's just how we are as humans, unique.
Skincare products I recommend/use-
Dear Klairs gentle black deep cleansing oil
Cosrx daily pH cleanser/ La Roche Posay
Dear Klairs gentle black sugar facial polish
Cosrx AHA/BHA toner
Cosrx Snail Mucin 96 essence
Dear Klairs Vitamin C juice drops
5% Duac Once Daily
Cosrx Daily SPF 50 aloe vera moisturiser
As you can see I prefer Cosrx/Dear Klairs for my skin care
, if you liked this thread and found it insightful give it a like and leave feedback below, I’m trying to get rep to see what’s in the the best of the best section but if you need further help let me know down below. BARS
Similar to my last definitive guide about leanmaxing/fat loss which you can check out here, taking care of your skin is another relatively simple way to raise your psl as a softmax and often underrated. It won't matter if you have ideal ratios if you're covered with pus filled acne, hyperpigmentation scars and skin texture and moisture reminiscent of sandpaper. In this guide I will outline the optimal skin care routine and short reviews of the science behind why you should follow it. I want to make this advice definitive on this issue which will mean this thread may be a little long but read it all it contains valuable information. The face is the first thing people look at, this has been scientifically proven so pay attention to it, remember if you're not skinmaxing you're not looksmaxing.
THE skin care routine
1- Cleanser 1- Twice Daily Oil Cleanser
2- Cleanser 2- Twice Daily Main Cleanser
3- Exfoliation- Once Weekly
4- Face Mask- Twice Weekly
5- Exfoliating Toner- Twice Daily
6- Essence- Twice Daily
7- Active Ingredient- Morning- Once Daily
8- Active Ingredient- Night- Once Daily
9- Moisturising SPF- Twice Daily
Explaining the routine
As you can see I've included two cleansers as opposed to one, the reason for this is because your skin needs it especially when your applying multiple active ingredients daily. Furthermore double cleansing is relatively new practice and works by initially using one gentle oil cleanser to non-abrasively cleanse your skin whilst moisturising it. After this you follow up with your main cleanser that may include ingredients such as salicylic/glycolic acid to thoroughly cleanse your skin optimally preparing it to absorb and take on the following steps. I can't recommend double cleansing enough, in this case more is better. That being said though this may not work for everyone as you may find that your skin is extremely sensitive which is rare but is a possibility so experiment and see if that issue pertains to you.
The next step involves using a physical exfoliator to exfoliate your skin, they usually consist of small beads or natural ingredients that physically exfoliate your skin to induce your skin cells to turnover and get rid of dry and dead skin. Many people recommend doing this daily or even every other day but frankly speaking using a physical exfoliator to that degree is an outdated practice which may do more harm than good. This is because you are getting rid of skin cells that don't need turnover or exfoliation which strips away natural glow and oils. You'll find that people who do that have a a shiny, matte like texture which is not desirable. I recommend using it once a week because the effect of brightened and smoother skin is instant as such I'd use this before going out on one day of the week you want your skin to look better than usual.
After this I recommend using a face mask, face masks depending on the type can be used to control and treat different issues you may have. For example some face masks are catered to acne and hyperpigmentation whilst others focus on pore display and excess sebum control. What kind of face mask you need depends on your unique problems with your skin therefore I can't recommend the use of one particular type of face mask because it isn't universal. Naturally if you have acne issues then use face mask geared towards that and vice versa. Exceeding the use of a face mask more than twice a week may cause your skin to dry up and become flaky and in time become oilier than it used to be so use in caution.
Moving forward to the next couple of steps in the routine I suggest an Exfoliating toner, this is a toner that consists primarily of AHA (alpha hydroxy acid), BHA (beta hydroxy acid) or both. The benefits of using a toner that exfoliates is that not only is it gentle enough to use daily thus giving the desired smooth glow on a consistent basis but it also moisturises and nourishes your skin which is key for this routine. They come in many different forms such as spray or apply but they all do the same thing. An essence once again is a Korean skincare practice soon becoming popularised in the west, it reinforces what the exfoliator does but its primary purpose is to give you a glow and retain moisture within the skin. I'd also like to add that these are somewhat optional depending on your budget, time and skin issue especially the latter but there aren't enough downsides to not consider these two things especially if you want to go the extra mile for your skin. Which should be everyones motive.
The next step is using an active ingredient, this is one of two active ingredients what will be directly treating your skin issue. For most people this issue is acne as such I'd recommend 5% benzoyl peroxide, the reason I recommend this is because it is what cured 70% of my skin issues, The way it does this is by using potassium hydroxyquinoline sulphate, an active ingredient that reduces the micro bacteria on your face therefore reducing the acne. Typical side effects of benzoyl peroxide are dry skin, irritation and redness. Although its benefits are enhanced by the effective cleansing and exfoliation which allow it to work better as well as the moisturising offered by this routine which quickly dissolves the side effects. You only need a small amount of this daily spread evenly on your face and I recommend using it at night as opposed to the morning because it may take longer for the side effects to subside due to the exposure of UV rays. Many people instantly jump to using treatments like Tretinoin and Accutane however these are treatments that have aggressive side effects and when looking at other anecdotes they provide short term relief. One way to describe it is like an alcoholic drinking more alcohol to get rid of last nights hangover caused by excessive alcohol. You need to address the issue not mask it and then rebound which is what implementing a consistent and well built routine will avoid and do the opposite of. That being said if your skin issues aren't resolved with benzoyl peroxide then you will need to scale up your treatment but once again that doesn't mean jumping to the most aggressive one.
The final step of this routine is to use a moisturising SPF, as you may have noticed unlike other common routines I've advised using a two in one moisturiser and SPF. In most cases two in ones in general aren't as effective in focusing on both of these things which is to provide moisture to the skin and to protect and reverse damage done to the skin by UV rays. This damage can show up in terms of darkening skin complexion and redness in the cheeks and near eye area and of course not using a moisturiser leads to dry skin which then leads to excess sebum which THEN leads to acne which can cause a whole host of other issues like scarring in it's aftermath. However I believe that moisturising SPF creams provided that they are high quality are much lighter whilst still being moisturising as well as being more cost effective and less time consuming. In regards to the degree of SPF for the sake of simplicity I will say this, SPF 50 is the definitive degree that you need and so any lower isn't as effective but any higher creates a substantial effect of diminishing returns. You may also choose that instead of using this both day and night you could a moisturising SPF in the day then a richer, pure moisturiser in the night which is a change I'll be making soon.
The other active ingredient in this routine is geared more towards a goal of yours for your skin as opposed to purely treating an issue. This may be wanting to brighten your skin complexion, improving the texture or retaining more moisture. This means that this is "customisable" if you'd like and depends on what you want, some common active ingredients used are Vitamin C to brighten skin tone and improve hyperpigmentation scars or Hyaluronic Acid to improve skin hyrdration and add collagen to maintain a youthful face. I'd recommend using this active ingredient in the morning because often they provide instant effects that will improve the way your skin looks throughout the day so its ineffective to waste those benefits whilst sleeping. I should warn though once again that for people who do have extremely sensitive skin using two active ingredients may be too much so experiment and see what works for you. Its easy for me to write this and give you a cookie cutter plan but not every single aspect will work for every single person, that's just how we are as humans, unique.
Skincare products I recommend/use-
Dear Klairs gentle black deep cleansing oil
Cosrx daily pH cleanser/ La Roche Posay
Dear Klairs gentle black sugar facial polish
Cosrx AHA/BHA toner
Cosrx Snail Mucin 96 essence
Dear Klairs Vitamin C juice drops
5% Duac Once Daily
Cosrx Daily SPF 50 aloe vera moisturiser
As you can see I prefer Cosrx/Dear Klairs for my skin care
, if you liked this thread and found it insightful give it a like and leave feedback below, I’m trying to get rep to see what’s in the the best of the best section but if you need further help let me know down below. BARS
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