4 Skincare mistakes that I did

 Assalamualaikum

dan Selamat Pagi

Back in the old days, knowledge about skincare in very inaccessible. I had acne vulgaris, my skincare routine was quite rubbish. Cringey and utterly stupid. 😆

Here are some skincare sins that I commit.

1. All "Natural" is Good

I used to stuck with Himalaya products for years, believe that natural is all good stuff. But acne never disappeared in the span of 4 years using those products. 

Here is the thing, not all natural products are necessarily good and not all chemicals are bad. I think most of us is well-established in the notion compared to years back.

My problem with the current "clean", "organic" and "natural" product marketing (which by the way have no standardised meaning) is fear-mongering the consumers. You don't have to demonize chemicals in general to sell your product. cough G. Paltrow cough.

The best way to understand what is good and bad for you is to read and study those ingredients. Know your skin, do a patch test if you have sensitive skin. 

I remember one classmate of mine used to bring a pot of Aloe Vera to the dorm just soo she could apply a fresh A. vera to her acne skin. The dedication. 

2. Overexfoliate

Physical sunscreen with microbeads

I used Himalaya's Neem scrub, religiously apply every Monday and Thursday. One time, I was too irritated with my acne...I double scrub for the night. Yikes. I even bought Himalaya's Walnut scrub 😶.

Exfoliate is to remove the dead skin cells. Over-exfoliate can actually damage your skin barrier and cause skin problems such as irritation, redness or breakout.

Now, I used chemical exfoliant The Ordinary's 7% Glycolic Toning Solution. Use every night after the buildup. 

3. No sunscreen

Example of sunscreen available at local drugstores (Watson, Guardian..)

I thought sunscreen is applicable when you go suntan on the beach. Ooo...That false myth. 

Girls, and boys. Wear your sunscreen every day! It's a must to avoid the risk of getting skin cancer and fast skin ageing. SPF 30 is the least.

4. Don't have a proper skincare routine

My routine was terrible at the beginning. Very terrible. I only used a cleanser. After I started to have severe acne, I applied Bio-Oil because I was afraid of the post-acne scars while still experiencing new acne. Bad combo. 

I believed that we need to use product from one skin-care line! No mix. My skincare routine was kelaut. 💆🏻‍♀️

After that, my classmate suggested Himalaya and then, I started the cleanser-scrub-mask-toner routine. Yeah. Just that throughout my Degree year. 

And my acne never goes away until I started my current new improved skincare routine back in 2020. I never feel happy and grateful than ever.  

BONUS

Didn't go to see a Dermatologist.

Why? Maybe because I have no awareness at all. I put too much faith in skincare products. I see Derm very late, at that time, I already adopt my new skin routine and my skin problems started to diminish 😂.