Is your skincare TOO HARSH?
Here’s how to know if your products have pushed your skin too far
Breaking out
Using a new skincare product should be plain sailing – but if it’s left you with breakouts, it’s a red flag that your skin can’t cope with it. When skin gets aggravated by a product, it creates more skin cells, which results in more dead skin lying on the surface, clogging pores – which then results in breakouts. You need a gentle, strength-building moisturiser to restore some calm. Byoma Moisturizing Gel-cream, £11.99, cultbeauty.co.uk, is a winner.
Itchy scratchy
Fragrance in products can irritate your complexion, making it feel itchy. Go fragrance free to see if it makes a difference, and
keep some La Roche-posay Lipikar Baume AP+M, £11.25, feelunique.com, on hand to dab wherever needed. It contains ingredients that stop the itch-scratch cycle in its tracks, so your skin can get back to normal.
Oil slick
If you don’t usually have oily skin but all of a sudden your face looks greasy and shiny, your cleanser could be the culprit. Face washes containing harsh ingredients can strip the skin’s natural oils, which makes the sebum glands go into overdrive, creating too much oil. Switch to a cleanser containing ceramides to strengthen the skin and hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture, which will keep your skin balanced. Cerave Hydrating Cleanser, £9.50, lookfantastic.com, is a cult buy for this very reason.
Oversensitive
There is a difference between a product feeling a little bit tingly on application and applying something that is actually painful! If that’s happening, it is likely to be down to an active ingredient, such as retinol or vitamin C, that simply does not like your skin – so stop using it immediately. Your complexion will then need some serious TLC, like a moisturiser filled with restoring lipids and soothing ingredients, until it feels OK again. Try Avène Xeracalm AD Lipid-replenishing Cream, £16.50, Boots.
Seeing red
When skin looks red, it normally means it’s inflamed. This can happen for lots of reasons, such as pollution or stress, but skincare can also be a factor. If you’re using too many types of products, the ingredients may be clashing, so try changing your regime to simple formulas that won’t irritate, and use a protective SPF such as Garnier Ambre Solaire Anti-age Super UV SPF50, £7, Boots.
Tightening up
We all want our skin to look taut, but not if it feels super tight after using products. Look for lightweight formulas you can layer to drench your skin in hydration, such as The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £5.99, feelunique.com, which you can lock in with a moisturiser on top, such as Versed Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-cream, £11.99, versedskin. com. This dream team should get your skin feeling healthy again.
Dry spell
Exfoliating acids are great, but if used too frequently they can make dry skin worse – and even skin that isn’t dry can end up looking parched. This is because these acids can break down the skin’s protective barrier (the top layer of skin that prevents moisture escaping), leaving you with a complexion that looks flaky and feels dehydrated. The solution? Put down the acids and use an enzyme-based product instead, as this will provide exfoliation without the irritation. We love The Body Shop Pumpkin Instant Radiance In-shower Mask, £18, The Body Shop.