Skincare products in the market are classified into thousands of items ranging from cleanser to toner to cream to serum to essence. There is so much more to this billion-dollar industry. Step by step, these products promise flawless skin. Did you ever consider that minimizing your skincare products and caring for your skin would be more effective? Based on my experience listening to advertised skin care tips, I came up with a minimal and logical approach.
I used to be amazed at and crave skincare products and tips. Especially, the Korean skincare industry is also well-developed and commonly known worldwide for its techniques and product promotion. One of the highlights is the ten-step skincare routine. According to Soko Glam, a Korean skincare community founded by Charlotte Cho, the ten steps start with makeup cleanser/oil cleanser, water-based cleanser, exfoliator, then toner, essence, treatments, sheet masks, eye cream, moisturize, and wrap with a sunscreen. With the appealing demonstration, this strategy is paid attention to many people, including me. I am always into Korean culture, such as their drama industry, K-pop, food, and variety shows. They are so strategic in promoting their culture to the world, and it has been a huge success until now. Learning this routine, I started to search online for an oil cleanser, serum, toner, sheet masks, and eye cream. With a tight budget, I can only purchase a few items, not exactly ten items. Whenever I purchase anything new, I have a weird feeling that I would be excited and use it regularly.
However, that feeling does not last long until a week and I start to feel lazy on these ten steps, LOL. The outstanding point of why I feel the Korean skincare routine is not for me is that I saw my skin does not improve much and some acne appears even though I take care of my skin pretty well. For a month, I repeated these steps once more. As I got more and more acne, I noticed that blemishes have not faded yet; tiny pimples have clustered together. What a surprise! People out there use this strategy and their skin results in a flawless, spot-free surface, a face that everyone wishes to have. And me, a total disappointment, a waste of effort and money, good for nothing, duh.
This ten-step application, full of flawless faces, makes me so embarrassed in front of the mirror, in front of people on the other side. I once cried out of shame. I know I should not blame this strategy, but it caused me so much discomfort. My next step was to relax, declutter those abundant products and make choices between one or two products that will make a difference.
My skincare routine has been simplified. To begin with, cleansing is important to remove dirt and excess oil from my skin. Next, I dry my face with a clean cloth. I wash my clothes every day to keep them clean. Last but not least, apply a facial cream and lip balm. Keeping this up for a month helped things improve. Acne on my face reduced, pimples disappeared, and blemishes faded. On top of that, I put on sunscreen when going outside as well as sometimes when I’m indoors. When I searched online for the minimal skincare routine, I saw a lot of other people also follow this strategy, and they feel their skin is effectively maintained.
You do not need to apply excessive products to your face. Make sure that you pay attention to your skin, observe the way it behaves, and use skin care products that work best for your skin, but without being overwhelmed by too many products that will cause confusion if they remain on the skin. So, learning costs money, which is what happened to me, however, it is still worthwhile going through the process and starting with a better one. Take a lesson from my mistakes and experience.
Comment below if you have experienced something similar.
