What are the best skin care tips we read last year? We’ve collected them all for you to bookmark below!
The Klog is a community for sharing the best skin care tips and hacks from across the globe, and we love reading your comments and hearing from you! We don’t know everything and we’re always learning, so we’ve gone through and compiled some of the best tips and reminders that you left us in 2017.
On cleansing…
Change your pillowcase frequently
Skin care isn’t always just about the products that you put on your face. Other external factors play into getting that clear, radiant skin we all dream about.
Julie reminded us in “The Double Cleansing Myths You Need to Stop Believing” that “it’s a great idea to keep your pillowcase very clean. Switch it every few days to keep it as clean as possible.” We aren’t able to control many environmental factors, like pollution or the sun, but we can keep our pillowcases clean. We spend a ton of time with our hair and faces on our pillows which can cause bacteria and germs that we can’t see build up.
Especially if you’re a morning showerer, you don’t want all the impurities from the day sitting on your face or your pillow, so we’d recommend changing your pillowcase at least once per week! If you’re oily or acne-prone, maybe consider changing even more frequently!
Create your own rice scrub
We could on and on about the benefits of rice in your skin care routine. Barbie gave us a great hack on “The Best K-Beauty Dupes for Popular High End Products” for a rice facial scrub: “Take a tablespoon of rice flour (white or brown, doesn’t matter) and sprinkle water into it until you have a paste, and then gently scrub away, rinse off, and you’re all set.” You could even rinse off with rice water!
It’s an inexpensive and ancient Korean tip for treating irritated skin and acne. But if you’re not keen on making your own rice masks, you could try the Skinfood’s Rice Mask Wash Off or Rice Brightening Scrub Foam, which will do largely the same job.
Wear a mask in the shower
Washing your face in the shower can be extremely drying and strip away the natural oils from your face. We received great tips on “Why You Should Stop Washing Your Face In The Shower” for locking in moisture even in hot showers, which we all crave in the winter.
One tip is to apply a hydrating mask before you step into the shower. “Once you’re done washing your body, use a super soft, damp microfiber washcloth and gently wipe the mask off,” wrote one reader. Keep essence and toner right next to your shower to lock in hydration as soon as you step out.
Or you could try wearing a sheet mask in the shower! It sounds odd, but it’s a genius way to remind your body not to get your face completely soaked in hot water, while also hydrating and reaping all the benefits of a sheet mask. The Missha First Treatment Essence Mask is a great option before stepping into the shower because it’s packed with great ingredients for hydrating, brightening, and strengthening and it also covers your neck!
On acne…
Keep your furry friends away from your face
We love animals here at The Klog, but we were reminded by Kristin on our article, “6 Things You Probably Do All the Time That Could be Causing Acne” that “letting your dog or cat snuggle up to your face can also cause acne.” Dogs and cats get into all kinds of business, so animal fur almost always harbors germs and bacteria that are not ideal for your skin and can cause breakouts. We’re not saying to not cuddle your pets, just something to consider the next time your pet snuggles up close to your face.
Think about the food you eat
Sometimes the products that we put on our skin are just as important as what we put into our bodies. On “The Steps I Took to Finally Tame My Hormonal Acne,” Morgan found out that dairy was her hormonal trigger because of all of the allowed hormones in American dairy products. She says that she experimented with different organic brands and milks to find out what worked for her skin and what didn’t. Food triggers are extremely personal and occur at all different levels so if you have acne that just isn’t going away with any product, consider that it could be something that’s a staple in your diet.
Chemical exfoliation works just as well as physical
We’re so prone to seeing exfoliation in the forms of physical exfoliators, scrubs, and microfiber cloths that often we overlook chemical exfoliation. Karen also reminded us on our article “The Steps I Took to Finally Tame My Hormonal Acne” that chemical exfoliators like AHAs and acids can do wonders for healing different kinds of acne. Not everyone is created equal, though, we’d recommend experimenting with different AHAs and BHAs to see what works for you, but it often can be a missing step in your skin care routine. The Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon from Neogen is perfect if you’re just starting to venture into chemical exfoliation. It uses lactic acid to penetrate pores for a deep clean, and an exfoliating pad to physically getting rid of impurities on the surface of the skin.
On premature aging…
Green tea isn’t the only anti-aging tea out there
We love green tea for its antioxidant and anti-aging properties, but if you’re not a tea drinker, it isn’t always the easiest thing to incorporate into your diet. Leigh recommended on our article “Ingredient Spotlight: The Many Benefits of Green Tea For Skin” “starting with flavored teas” for green tea newbies. She recommended some great beginner green teas in the forms of cherry blossom green tea or cherry lemon green tea. Green tea comes in a whole host of different flavors (my personal favorite is brown rice green tea for double antioxidant power), so don’t be afraid to branch out or add a teaspoon of honey if regular green tea just isn’t for you.
Oil cleansing does more than deep clean your pores
Double cleansing is the holy grail of the Korean beauty routine, but did you know that it can also aid in preventing premature aging? Yup! Julie reminded us on our article “The Double Cleansing Myths You Need to Stop Believing” that using an oil cleanser “reduces fine lines and wrinkles over time.” Oils contain natural ingredients to moisturize and hydrate. These same ingredients, if used regularly and applied to wrinkles should make wrinkles appear less noticeable overtime. For the double cleansing newbie, we’d recommend the Banila Co Clean It Zero Purity followed by the Neogen Green Tea Real Fresh Foam Cleanser which will leave gently clean your skin without compromising on hydration.
On moisturizing…
Mix oils for supreme hydration
Winter is tough on the skin. It’s cold and windy. The air is dry. We have heaters blasting. “Oil drops in serum or cream method is a popular, must routine in Korea, especially from fall through winter,” which Jan reminded us of on “The Skin Care Myth People With Oily Skin Need to Stop Believing.” Mixing a few drops of oils like rosehip, tea tree, and argan oils, among others can be great for your skin. We love Hanskin’s Bio Origin 369 Oil and Skinfood’s Yuja Oil C Moisture Oil for leaving you with the softest, brightest skin even in the winter.
On skin care, in general…
Sometimes, a dermatologist is the only answer
Your skin is a part of your body, and as such, sometimes it’s not enough to treat it with products that you can get over the counter. Louisa suggested on our article, “Klog Chat: What Did You Learn About Skincare Growing Up That Changed Your Life?” that sometimes you need to go and see a dermatologist. “My mum is allergic to almost all skin care you can buy, so her’s has to be prescribed… So growing up she’d help me find a product for every step.”
Listen to your body. It will tell you when things are wrong. If you have acne that just won’t go away or something happens to your skin that you can’t explain or that worries you, you should go and see a dermatologist. It is their job to appease any of your fears, diagnose problems at their start, and prescribe products that will work better for you. Seeing a dermatologist can be scary, but often it can be the right decision and the next step to achieving clear glowing skin.
Just be gentle and nice to your skin
Carrie reminded us on the same Klog Chat to be kind to ourselves! And by osmosis, be kind to our skin! “Being kind to my sensitive, acne-prone skin is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. My skin is so much clearer than it’s ever been, and I feel comfortable going without makeup now.”
There’s always a temptation to exfoliate more, cleanse more, because it feels like we’re doing more for our skin. But the reality is that overusing certain products can dry out your skin, leave it itchy, cause you to breakout, or worse. Switching to a gentler routine, taking your time and treating your routine as an act of self-love and self-care can sometimes be the missing piece to the skin care puzzle.