5 Myths About Skincare products Busted!

This is a great post from Beautiful With Brains about the nonsense we get spun regarding skincare. As part of the new Year New You Skin Care series, you need to read this before you buy or make your buying decisions about skincare products.

5 Myths About Skincare Products Busted!

We all know how important it is to take good care of our skin, but there is such an overwhelming amount of products on the market that just makes it harder to choose the best ones to suit our needs. So, we read the labels, hoping that they’d help us to make the right choice, but can we really trust all the claims they make? And what about the common beliefs that we should choose expensive and natural products because they supposedly work better? Is that true? Read on to find out:

1. Hypoallergenic products are safer and better for sensitive skin

Hypoallergenic is a word that implies that a product is gentler and less likely to cause irritations and allergic reactions and so it is better for those with sensitive skin. But as I’ve already discussed in a previous post, hypoallergenic is just a marketing tool. The term is not regulated in any way, there aren’t restrictions on what ingredients can and cannot be used in products labelled this way and companies don’t have to prove that these products don’t contain allergens. This means that cosmetic companies can just put the word hypoallergenic on every product they want, even those that contain irritating ingredients. But by reading the ingredient lists, you can easily avoid products with ingredients that you know will cause irritations, allergic and even breakouts to your skin.

2. “Dermatologically tested” products are safer and more reliable

The term “dermatologically tested” is another marketing tool. It means that the product has been tested on skin and nothing more. They don’t tell you on whose skin and on how many people the product has been tested, how the testes were performed, by what dermatologist they were performed, or what the results were. And although we like to think that when a doctor endorses a product they have people’s best interests at heart, some dermatologists may recommend a particular product simply because he/she was paid to do so (obviously not all dermatologist do this, but sometimes it can happen).

3. You should use skincare products targeted to your age group

We are often told that we need to use skincare products targeted to our age group, ie teenagers should buy products targeted to teens, women over 50s those for mature skin etc, but that’s just nonsense. While it is true, for instance, that mature skin can be dryer and develop skin conditions associated with age, that doesn’t mean that all women over 50 will experience that. There are lots of mature women who have oily skin prone to breakouts for instance and the richer moisturizers targeted to this age group certainly wouldn’t help them. More simply, everyone’s skin, no matter how old you are, is different and has different needs. You should use products that are designed to treat any skin concern YOU may have, regardless of the age group they are targeted to.

4. Natural ingredients are better and safer than synthetic ones

There seems to be a general belief that anything that’s found in nature is automatically good while ingredients made in a lab must necessarily be bad for the skin. That is not true! There is absolutely no factual evidence nor scientific proof to support the claim that natural ingredients are safer and more effective. In fact, often the opposite is true. There are lots of natural substances that are bad for you such as poison ivy for instance. In addition, natural ingredients may be harder to preserve and so more prone to bacteria contamination. The truth is that cosmetic companies can’t put toxic ingredients in their products. That’s illegal. As for their effectiveness, there are simply some natural ingredients that work well and others that don’t, just like there are some synthetic ingredients that work well and others that don’t. You should use products that contain ingredients that work well for your skin and its concerns, regardless of their origin.

5. Expensive skincare products work better than inexpensive ones

The effectiveness of a product depends on its formula, not its price. There are expensive products that are well-formulated, just like there are others who promise to treat wrinkles or other concerns but simply have a very basic formula that doesn’t do much apart from hydrating skin, and even those that contain irritating or comedogenic ingredients. And the same can be said for drugstore skincare products. In addition, sometimes high-end and drugstore brands are owned by the same company. So when new ingredients are discovered, the expensive brand will release products with it first and then usually, months later, a drugstore version will follow suit so you can have the same benefits at a more affordable price. By learning to read ingredient lists you will be able to tell what products, regardless of the brand, are better-formulated and so avoid spending money on those that just don’t work.

Check out more posts from Beautiful With Brains here

New Year New You ~ How To Build Your Skincare Wardrobe

Just as your sartorial wardrobe is built upon staple pieces that are timeless building blocks, immune to fads and the moving tides of fashion (a great pair of black pants, the LBD, a killer blazer), so should your skincare wardrobe be built with staple pieces, tailor made for your specific skin type.

If you read yesterday's blogpost on pairing down and thinning out your exisiting products (click here) and hopefully acted on it, now you are ready to build your skincare wardrobe.

This is a list of the building block products that make up a great skincare program. For those who prefer a minimalist approach there is the option to pare down, for those who like me can never have enough products or steps in the skincare treatment plan there is the option to add in.

Where it begins:

1. Eyemakeup Remover
This one lets overlooked far too often. Eyemakeup remover is designed to dissolve and remove all eye makeup products, even the most stubborn waterproof mascara, and do it gently. The skin around your eyes is the thinnest most delicate skin on the body, and the quickest to show signs of aging. Rubbing away at it with the wrong products will make you look older, faster.
You choose.
There are plenty of good ones out there. I use Makeup Forever's SensEyes because it's for even the most sensitive of skins, it dissolves everything, and it doesn't leave a filmy barrier on the skin that stops treatment products from penetrating.


2. Cleanser

image www.josic.com

You would be amazed at how many girls and women get this one wrong. You need a cleanser specific to your skin type. Which means you need to know your skin type first. Most of us get a little shiney in the T Zone, but this doesn't mean we are oily - for the most part it means we are normal or normal combination. 
Oily skin is generally oily all over, or has significant oil residue sitting on the surface of the T Zone. If you really are oily then you should use a foaming cleanser. If you are not actually oily, or if you have a normal or dry cheek area using a foaming cleanser can strip your skin and make it super dry.
I love oil cleansers for everyone, and cleansing milks for normal to dry skins. If you really are super dry and don't want to use an oil cleanser a cleansing cream works well.


3. Toner or Refresher
If you are oily a toner is a great rinse cycle product, if you are normal to dry then a refresher is a better choice.
Toners lift away excess oil while refreshers prepare the skin for the next step. Both lift away any residue from your cleanser.

Daytime products

Katie Bunn by Eric Cassee, makeup by Corinna Cooke

4. Serum
Add in a serum to address specific concerns. Maybe you need help with acne, maybe you're looking for anti-aging help or a barrier against environmental pollutants. Whatever your skin needs there is a serum for you.
I love Rhonda Allison serums. Actually I love all her products.



5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C provides potent antioxidant protection, shielding the skin from free radicals and environmental damage.
It makes skin healthier and brighter, boosts collagen, increases the effectiveness of your sunscreens and boosts your skin's defense against UV exposure.



6. Eyecream
The eye area needs it's own moisture product. If you need less help opt for an eye gel, if you need more hydration around the eyes go for an eye cream.

7. Moisturizer
Make sure your daytime moisturizer is specific to your skin type. Most of us don't need a really heavy product during the day, but we all need to address the hydration equation.

8. Facial Oil
The greatest thing ever. A few drops of a good facial oil make an incredible diference especially to normal and dry skins. Facial oils make the skin glow and have all kinds of benefits. My favorite is Nude Pro genius Facial Treatment Oil. I've used it daily for several years now (read about it here)
I love to put on a couple of drops before applying makeup, to make the skin glow and to make foundation look amazing.



9. Facial SPF
Don't be tricked into thinking the SPF in your moisturizer or your foundation is sufficient to protect you from melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, sun damage, fast tracked aging of the skin or anythinng else.
There isn't enough in there and you would have to put a super thick, opaque layer of it on to get even close to the SPF number on the lable, which is typically low.
You need SPF protection 365 days per year, so use a freestanding broadspectrum facial SPF product. I use Neutrogena Dry Touch with Heliopex in the highest SPF the store has, every day of the year. Its has a dry finish that makeup goes on beautifully over.

Night Time Products

Night time is when your skin does all it's repair work, so it needs a specialized set of products to help it along and to boost the turnover of cells.

Essence
The huge advances in skincare all stem from Korea. One of my favorites is the incredible essence products. In fact Korean women, with their absolutely sensational skin, will tell you that essence is the most essential step in any skin care plan.
It is a concentrated formula that treats skin on a cellular level, targeting fine lines and wrinkles, dull and uneven skin tones.
Korean essences have a special ingredient that optimizes the skin's natural turnover rate (regeneration). You will definitely notice a substantially smoother, brighter, more vibrant skin. 

The Missha Time Revolution Essence is super popular and less than half the price of the $100 SK II Essence. 

Serum
Like day time serums, night time serums tackle specific needs. I can never get enough serums! You can go more high tech, super boosted by using an ampoule in place of a regular strength serum.

RetinA
Retinoids are the gold standard in skincare when it comes to evening out skin tone, reversing sun damae, shrinking pores and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. 
Simply put, everyone needs to use a retinoid.
I've written about them often, but for more about retinA click here

Eye Cream
I use the same one day and night, but you can also get specific nightime eye creams.

Night Cream
Unless skin is super young or oily, (or for myself if I am somewhere humid),  I like to use a really enriching, emollient, heavy hitting night cream. I love skin to look glowy with all the extra hydration at sleep time.

Ancillary Products

There are a few additional products that boost and support your main skincare items, but that you don't use daily.

Exfoliant
I don't care for exfoliating scrubs. I always think they rough up and scratch the baby skin underneath, so I prefer enzyme masks to exfoliate. Ideally you only want to exfoliate every week or two.

Sheet Masks

I love these! When I have the time I like to use them at least once (or twice) per week. You look a bit like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, but the sheet actually forces the skin to absorb the product better than if you just applied it to the surface.
I often buy the cheapie sheet masks at the asian market - there are so many to choose from, from brightening to tightening, hydrating to collagen boosting. They are fabulous.

On the Aeolian Island of Lipari with Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydrating Lifting Mask

When I really want to feel luxurious I use the Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask
I travel with these single serve masks. They breathe new life into tired, dehydrated skin, and work like magic after a long international flight.