determinationandcaffeine:

Hi ^^ For years now I’ve been really bothered by all the misinformation on the internet about skincare. So let’s put an end to that so that you can all have amazing skin for back to school! Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about skincare. Enjoy!

The very basics

• READ THE INGREDIENT LIST: I don’t care if your moisturizer is $60, it most likely has the same awful ingredients as a drugstore one but with a fancier packaging and smell. Ingredients are what makes or breaks a product and not just the ‘miracle x ingredient’ advertised on the packaging, every other ingredient is just as important.
• Ingredients are all the same, if it says grapeseed oil, you’re getting grapeseed oil, it’s not higher quality because the product is more expensive.
• I know you’re going ‘ain’t nobody got time for that’ but PLEASE, make time for that. Just quickly scanning the ingredient list, you’ll be able to spot harmful ingredients and save your money.
• The more towards the bottom an ingredient is, the less of that ingredient the product contains. Meaning if the product claims to have x ingredient but it’s towards the bottom, it’s as good as nothing.
• USE SUNSCREEN. Yes, every day. Even if it’s cloudy. Even if you’re staying inside. @educatier made a wonderful post about it, but here are the main reasons why you should:

1. UVA rays go through windows and are present as long as the sun is out. They cause AGING and SKIN CANCER. UVB causes burning and tanning.
2. Acne is an inflammatory disease (discussed below). The sun causes inflammation. The sun WILL make your acne worse.
3. Acne scars are mostly inflammation and melanin. Sun rays will basically etch them onto your skin.
4. Any products you put on your face will be basically wasted. At the rate the sun damages your skin, no anti-oxidant, retinol, whatever can work fast enough to help your skin repair itself. If you want a visual annalogy, your skin cells are like construction workers, any products you put on are like machinery that helps them build. Sun rays are wrecking balls.
5. If you’re using retinoid, benzoyl peroxide or salycilic acid (discussed below), and not using sunscreen, you’re basically ageing yourself twice as fast.

The acid mantle

The acid mantle is a lipid layer that keeps your skin’s pH slightly acidic (around 4.5). Products that have a much higher/lower pH will compromise it. This will cause dehydration, slower repair rate (read: acne scars for longer) and make a general mess out of your skin.

Why irritation is so harmful

When a product irritates your skin, it stimulates the nerve endings under your skin. One of the consequences of this is that they send a signal to your oil glands to produce more oil (more acne, yay!). It’s also been shown to cause collagen breakdown

Keep reading