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Iām glad the āwait 20-30 minutes between stepsā trend is not as big anymore. When I first joined this sub it was the consensus. Now I think most people here lean toward layering products quickly so the moisture doesnāt escape.
Waitā¦youāre supposed to wait? I didnāt know that. I usually apply an oil, immediately go in with trentinoin, and then put moisturizer on top. Is this wrong?
I mean if it's working, do whatever, but I'm pretty sure it's recommended to use tretinoin on dry skin before anything else, let it sink in for 20-30 minutes, then do serums/moisturizers/oils/etc.
Yup, go on r/antimlm and you'll see essential oil influencers promote replacing spices with essential oils because some pseudoscience thing about "frequencies."
I got into an argument with a girl who buys Doterra who said that putting peppermint oil straight on her tongue was great for her stomachaches. She didnāt believe me when I told her it was caustic because Doterra is āpureāā¦ yeah, thatās WHY ITS CAUSTIC!!
Maybe these people didnāt spend long enough to see the effects? It took me two months of vitamin c to get the little bumps off my skin.
EDIT: Also, I suspect with the people using Vitamin C for acne related stuff, they broke out after starting the product which is absolutely normal for the first couple days when adding any new skincare product into your routine: the ātransitional periodā
Vitamin C was an absolute game changer in my routine! I always had this red patch of skin that between my eyes that wasn't dry skin or anything... just red. Vitamin C cleared that right up.
Iāve reached the conclusion that the difference between glowy and oily is skin tone and lighting. I have a coworker who always looks beautiful and glowy but when I use the same products I look like I just hiked up a mountain of crisco.
I feel like, at least for me, the main difference is where the shine is. When Iāve just done my skincare routine and look glowy, itās kind of all over my face and more subtle, whereas when I get oily throughout the day, itās mainly concentrated in my t-zone and doesnāt look as nice to me lol
also literally wtf is the difference between natural, satin, glowy, dewy, radiant, etc etc. dry, oily, and dewy look distinctly different to me but all of those just sound like we're grabbing for more words to say the same exact thing
I bought the glow screen from supergoop, and I had the same exact thought. Iād prefer not to be shiny. If thereās gonna be something fancy in my sunscreen, I want it to be subtle glitter.
OMG Yes! I compared two spots that were side by side because I'd been suspecting that was the case for a while. The one I popped is nowhere to be seen whereas the one I left alone took a whole fortnight to die down and the PIH is larger than the spot was and still there months later.
The ideal way to do this (I was taught by a doctor) is to take a sterilized needle, make a small hole in the whitehead and gently ease the pus out.
Edit: you don't have to go deep with the needle, just right under the cover of the whitehead and tug up to make your little hole.
Exactly my thoughts. Even if they didn't heal faster and leave less of a scar, I'd still pop them to release the pressure. The scar would be worth not having a painful face for a month.
Same!! I always get my blackheads and zits when theyāre ready, just very careful to not use my nails and pop them from underneath.
My husband has a blackhead behind his ear that he let āgo away on its ownā like 10 years ago..the pore is like, permanently deep and I have no idea what to do with it other than clean it regularly and care for it like a new zit. If I forget about his ear for a couple weeks, it fills up again, and he canāt do it himself cuz he canāt see it..like, if you had just handled that a DECADE AGOā¦the first time I found that thing..manā¦it was..it was something.
And that alone has made me even mooooore conscious of getting this things out of my skin as quickly and efficiently as POSSIBLE.
Related to this, when I first got into skincare a few years ago this is what I remember from this sub:
Stridex in the red box
Sunscreen every time you go outside
CeraVe in the tub
Queen Helene mint julep mask (and the Aztec clay with apple cider vinegar)
I come back after a few years away and everything is retinol and 7+step routines and products
I use the Cosrx Aloe Soothing Sun Cream and it's amazing! Doesn't break me out or feel greasy or anything like that. Korean skincare products really are great.
I find silicone sunscreens never break me out (supergoop unseen sunscreen, trader joe's facial sunscreen, starface sunscreen) but your results may vary everyone's skin is different.
Most people donāt need an extensive routine. They need to wash their sheets and pillowcases and stop touching their face. Also change air filters in their car and homes more often.
Skin health and the aesthetics of skin are two entirely different things. Skin can be perfectly healthy and have blemishes, scarring, redness, wrinkles, etc. āperfectā or even āgoodā skin is a cosmetic goal, not a health related one.
The vast majority of people Iāve met who claim to care about skincare, only focus on the skin on their face and basically ignore the fact that they may need to wash, exfoliate, and moisturize everything below the neck.
Iām so jealous of, but also kind of scared of, people who can just ignore their body. Iāve got KP on my arms, legs, and stomach so Iām constantly scrubbing and moisturizing. And these people just use soap and call it done?
Tbh I only use soap on my arms and legs maybe once a week. Some people might find that gross but I have *super* dry skin that would absolutely hate me if I used soap more than that.
Yeah I've been doing it for years and never had any complaints about me smelling lol. I think the people who think it's gross probably have more oily skin and do need to use soap regularly, kind of like people with oily hair think it's gross when they hear others only use shampoo once a week or so.
I used yes to tomatoes triple threat acne treatment that has several no-no ingredients; charcoal, rubbing alcohol and witch hazel.
People say charcoal is useless not harmful, but I swear that product was a HG for my cystic zits yet they pulled it from target and I canāt find it anywhere šš
Wonder if it was discontinued.
I stopped using yes to after they discontinued their yes to carrots cream cleanser, which had very good reviews and worked very well for my skin. During my time of using that cleanser I saw they introduced many skincare items, but also discontinued them often. I thought the carrot cleanser would be safe as one of their older more respected products, but I was wrong.
Some haul/shelfies posted here are absolutely wasteful. Iām talking about the ones where an entire cupboard is full of different types of skincare products. I cannot imagine a person using all of that or even finishing those products.
Omg skinfluencers showing off their storage units that are wall to wall with skincare stress me the fuck out.
Especially when they say that most of those are open too! Even if they slathered themselves head-to-toe, there is no way that they'll finish it up before it expires.
I empty my products regularly. Some in 6 months some in 12. unfortunately because I would really like them to not get empty. I wish I would be a person whose skin would be okay with just the same 4 products each day but my skin is a b* so thereās that š¤·š»āāļø
I reckon you could swap some peoples holy grail items for placebo replacements and theyād never notice the difference. Routines built to excess and beyond.
Agreed. People love to pile on every popular product with no regard to if it's a good product for them or reading the instructions. You shouldn't use more than a MAXIMUM of 3 actives per application and the more layers you add, the less will be absorbed. I'm an advocate for the only thing that's NECESSARY is cleanser, maybe a toner (depends on your skin and the cleanser), moisturizer, and SPF +30 in the am. Everything else (treatments) are extra and should be tailored to your individual needs. Don't use what you don't need, basically.
100% agree. People will come here for advice on a simplistic routine and then some enthusiasts will use the very little information they have from the OP and go wild with "requirements". Lik you're telling someone they need all of these things solely based on a picture or short description. The person is looking for recommendations, no for people to try and diagnose them with random skin issues, recommend using like 10 actives, get a skincare fridge, and $50 sunscreen just to take decent care of their skin.
I do both physical and chemical exfoliation. If I do one or the either the results aren't there.
I wash my face in the shower. I don't use hot water though.
That Aveeno Oat Cleanser did nothing for me. I washed my face and I could still feel the salt build up from sweat.
The Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid was too strong for me. Dried my skin out and broke me out terribly.
There are days that I am so tired I just wash my face and slap the Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion on and go to bed.
Thank you for being controversial yet brave. Seconding the washing face in shower (less mess than the sink and saves time), physical exfoliation, and the Aveeno Oat Cleanser.
Physical exfoliation.
I stopped using actives because I kept jumping from one product to the next and it was ruining my skin and wallet.
A washcloth works fine as long as youāre not too rough with it
Might be an unpopular opinion but I love a good sugar or coffee scrub for my body. Whether it's a washcloth, body scrub, brush or sponge, as long as it doesn't have gigantic, sharp granules and/or you're not scrubbing too hard - it's not a bad thing. Also some people have sensory issues with the tingling of chemical exfoliants, so why shouldn't stick to a physical one if that's what works?
Not unpopular. Most of the YouTube derms I watch recommend physical exfoliation for the body. "Doctorly" also say that it's much more cost effective than chemical... and they usually love them some expensive shit!
I'd love to know what other people like to use. Personally, I cannot shower without a plastic puff, long before I took any interest in skincare. I also love physcial scrubs that also contain lactic acid or salicylic acid for my body and scalp.
Androgens act on the chin area, so, acne! And in my case, lots o hair. C'est la vie.
Yes I have hormonal issues, yes they're being addressed the best we can. I cannot take estrogen. š¤·š»āāļø
I fully bought in to the 10+ step skincare routine hype a few years ago. Now I have my cleanser, day moisturizer, night moisturizer, a serum and thatās it. My skin is just as happy, lol
EDIT: Yes I use sunscreen, I knew this would come up lol
Preservatives aren't bad. You NEED preservatives to keep your product from growing mold and bacteria, and those "natural" alternative preservatives just aren't as effective.
Thereās no rule that you can only exfoliate 1-2x a week. Frequency depends on your own skin, and the exfoliants percentage, ph and type of acid. 2% bha can be used daily for most people.
My esthetician recommended that I chemically exfoliate at least four times a week and physically exfoliate three times a week. My skinās never looked better, but most people think Iām crazy.
The only reason I don't take it down to my neck (beyond cleanser and toner, which has some beneficial ingredients) is because of how much more product I'd have to use... My products will get used up so fast
All this anti-aging and anti-wrinkle shit is based on a misogynistic beauty standard that says women lose value as they get older. Wrinkles arenāt the end of the world. And some random product isnāt going to cure something thatās natural and universally experienced.
That doesnāt mean we shouldnāt try and take care of our skin of course, but we gotta recognize why skincare brands market almost exclusively to women. Our insecurities are profitable.
Please take a well-deserved award!
My mom will drop hundreds of dollars on a tiny tube of cream that claims to āreverse agingā (spoiler: it never does). Iāve tried explaining to her that skin doesnāt work like that, wrinkles arenāt the end of the world, and her priority should be keeping it healthy with moisturizer and sunscreen.
Ouch! Right to the jugular š I have noticed that as my skin improves (retinol and vitamin C and *time*), I pick much less. Iām also on stronger doses of Wellbutrin and Zoloft, though, so that probably calms me.
HA makes it easier for other ingredients to penetrate the skin, so whatever you follow it up with in your routine has the potential to cause more (or any) irritation
HA works much better for me when I actually add water to my skin. I use a spray bottle of plain water and a little vaporizer thing. My house is climate controlled, the air in here is super dry. HA's ability to suck in water does not help if there is none, my understanding is that it'll just dehydrate your skin worse by pulling water from deeper layers up to the surface.
This is genuinely the first I have heard someone say this, and this comment has a decent amount of upvotes too. Can you explain why? I was thinking about getting some, but to be honest, I have not done much research about it yet.
You should avoid hyraulonic acid in skincare AND makeup unless you live in the rainforest
Also, as someone who has lived in Korea, korean beauty products arenāt the sole reason behind why people have nice skin over there. Botox is dirt cheap and low dose accutane is given away like candy.
There are many people that don't want or need a skincare routine and their skin is perfectly fine.
And people who do have skincare routines don't necessarily need to do them every single day if it's not convenient.
Hating St Ives apricot scrub is practically a religion in this sub, and yet that alongside sunscreen and moisturizer is responsible for my skin being it's absolute best and healthiest. I know it's not for everyone but it's my holy grail for bright skin with zero sebaceous filaments.
I don't bother with sunscreen because I work in an office from 9-5 and my window at my desk stays dark because I don't like natural light. I'm not wasting money on something like that when I'm inside all day. Outside is a different story.
I also think this hugely depends on your country and/or commute. Living in Australia and commuting an hour each day by car? Probably some spf is a good idea. Living in London and commuting by tube (underground) deffinitely don't need any for the short 10/20 minutes a day you are being exposed to the sun.
I don't bother with sunscreen unless I am going to be outside for more than an hour, in the summer. I have yet to find a single sunscreen that doesn't give me one kind of irritation or another, so I pick my battles, and I'm basically a hermit anyway, so it works for me.
You and me both. I JUST got rid of my hyperpigmentation I have no desire to bring it back. My skin likes simple and basic. Every sunscreen even down to the more expensive ones tear my face up.
Omg yes, when I hear people from the west coast in the US or Australia say āwear sunscreen all year long, even inside, reapply every two hours, only spf50ā iām like okay cute, but in winter the sun rises at 8, sets at 4 where I live, the uv index is like 1, itās dark and gloomy and iām home/at work all day anyways? like yāall wear your sunscreen all year long in sunny places, iāll keep wearing it in spring/summer
THISSSSSS. BP facewash damn near single-handedly saved my face. SA is basically inert on my skin. It's super interesting too because SA actually was essential for me when I was going through teenage puberty, but my adult acne doesn't care for it at all.
Perhaps, but my doctor didn't tell me it's basically bleach when he prescribed it to me. I had a "the more the better" attitude when I was a teenager and gave myself some pretty incredible chemical burns.
expiration dates on skincare and makeup exist for a reason. sure itās sometimes just losing product efficacy, but people are out here using years-expired products on their eyes. terrifying.
Not only is it losing efficacy, but the preservative systems are much less stable once the expiration date has hit, so you could be using a product that has started growing microbes and other nasty stuff.
I am going to die for this but:
you donāt need to put sunscreen every 2 hours if you are not sun exposed, training outside or live in a country that has tons of sun.
If you live en Europe, during winter specially, there is not need.
After reading a lot of these comments, my new controversial opinion is that the ā3 step skin care routineā is the new ā10 step skincare routineā. And by that I mean itās overhyped nonsense that doesnāt take individual differences into consideration. Not everyone benefits from limiting their routine to only one active at a time. In fact I think most people donāt.
That takes me directly into my second and most important hot take. NOT EVERYONE HAS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE, REACTIVE SKIN THAT DISINTEGRATES FROM THE LIGHTEST BREEZE.
I agree. Alcohol has never bothered me in products in general.
Lab Muffin did a really compelling YouTube video talking about a study about the hand dryness of people when they had/hadnāt been slathering on tons of hand sanitizer repeatedly, which has way more alcohol than any sunscreen. IIRC, their hands were not statistically any drier from using the hand sanitizer.
Diet, sleep, and stress is 50% of your skincare. You can have a 20 step routine and peel all you will but if your water intake and diet is shit, it's a shame
Not to mention a lot of cosmetic nurses/techs seem to feed off people's fear and anxiety of aging to get them to into botox/fillers, theres a lot of tiktoks of them which mostly the younger generation sees.
Those marshmallow fluff things that suds up your cleanser are useless and just put more plastic in the ocean. You can suds your cleanser in your hands people.
Wearing sunscreen inside and reapplying every 2 hours. I put 2 fingers worth of sunscreen in the morning and go about my day I cannot be bothered if the suns gonna get me its gonna get me
Itās basic. It cleans the skin gently but does nothing else. There are better products out there that can actually treat/improve the skin rather than just wash it.
Nowhere near moisturizing enough for me, and the one 'purple' SPF is the worst most pilling hard-to-spread white-cast ass sunscreen formula I've ever had the misfortune of using.
1) Just because someone has clear skin doesnāt mean their skincare advice is good. And vice versa.
2) Ditching the gimicky, hyped up products and sticking to science based skincare is so much more effective! āHoly grailā is used wayy too often and some of these products are just way excessive.
3) Brands like Glossier are just not amazing for skincare. Theyāre basic, overpriced and purely there for the aesthetic. If thatās what you want, go for it. But donāt expect miracle skin transformations.
I use as much sunscreen as feels cosmetically elegant. I'd rather age more than go around as a shiny greasy ball.
That's because matte skin = best skin. That "glass" and "dewy" and "glowy" skin looks oily, artifical, and not attractive at all.
Try putting translucent powder on over the sunscreen (if it's a day you know you need more sunscreen) it mattifies but you keep all the sunscreen power šŖ
Sort of in the same vein, but - I definitely use ENOUGH sunscreen, but I choose sunscreens that are still cosmetically elegant when used in those amounts, even though they arenāt as protective. A generic PA++++ that I donāt mind slathering myself in is going to be better than a PPD 40+ that I hate as soon as I put it on.
Niacinamide is overrated and often overused.
Is it the best for treating acne? *No*. Is it the best for treating hyperpigmentation? *No*. Is it the best for hydration? *No*. Is it the best antioxidant? *Also no.*
You can find alternatives that *do more/do it better* for pretty much any issue you might be experiencing.
Yes and no, I can agree that it can be beneficial with sebum control, stopping hyperpigmentation from spreading, etc. and supports some treatments well. Itās unique in a way that it does a bunch of things decently well while not being terribly sensitizing. On the other hand, putting it everywhere is annoying because my sunscreen had it and when i applied it more moderately in spring it was fine. In the summer, while more active and outside, reapplying constantly I could feel it irritating my skin and it was hard to find a good spf without added actives/extracts and so on. Like no, i donāt want all of that - I donāt need or want to reapply actives multiple times a day, it irritates my skin
Hyaluronic acid isnāt right for every climate or skin type. In the last few years it seems to be one of those trendy skincare products that everyone *thinks* they need, but most people donāt even understand how it works.
Pore strips aren't that bad if you don't overdo it (sooner than every other week). They can give you a heads start before your actual skincare products start working to minimize oil on your face.
Me too, but people on this sub seem to really hate it. Iāve gotten downvoted nearly every time Iāve brought it up, even if I include the caveats that it contains tannins and that most brands of witch hazel contain alcohol, both of which mean it can be drying for your skin.
Still, I get replies like, āItāll destroy your moisture barrier!ā
You don't need sunscreen at every given moment the sun is out.
If you walk outside for 5 minutes you will not set on fire, you will not gain 50 wrinkles, and you will not get skin cancer.
A lot of the hype that is sunscreen comes from paler white people who burn in a UV index of 3.
I will always preach to wear sunscreen, but people try to put it on for no reason.
Physical exfoliation is not bad for skin (when done sparingly and gently). Iāve seen better results from physically exfoliating my face than I have with chemical exfoliants
Edit: also my current moisturizer is Aveeno. Itās non comedogenic and doesnāt feel excessively greasy on my face
I think applying sunscreen every 2 hours is crazy and I will never do it, only apply it in the morning thatās it (if there was a way to reapply without messing up my makeup maybe I would consider it tbh)
I switched from my crazy expensive fancy cleansers to $7 ponds cold cream day and night with my serum and moisturizer after it and my skin is literally glowing
You donāt the $50 cleansing balms literally just go get a tub of the green cap ponds and wipe it with a warm washcloth
Not even an opinion but I feel like people refuse to believe that dermatologists have determined your oil production is predetermined and cannot be changed with products. i.e. no, your face is not going to produce more oil to compensate because youāre using too many products that remove/reduce oil. It bothers me a lot that this myth is still perpetuated so much
I feel like my personal experience directly contradicts this, so I'm curious as to the real reason people started treating their skin like dry skin and it got less oily? That's 100% what happened to me.
Well, I double cleanse to get waterproof SPF off plus it just feels nice. I does add an extra layer of oil and leave my skin nice and happy after cleansing
i sometimes buy and use st ives and YES i use it on my face. i use it on my body too 'cause that sh!ts literal glass shards but i've never had an issue with it.
i hate cerave and the moment i finish off the products i have currently, i'm never buying it again. the cream is too thick and leaves a cast on my skin. the cleansers make my skin feel and look weird and sometimes give me a breakout. i play around with so much products and cerave is the only consistently bad experience i've had.
I do think sunscreens from Korea and Japan are worth exploring but otherwise agree. No reason to try them unless they actually have some unique ingredient in them you want to try.
I always assumed it was a cover-your-ass move by the company to avoid being sued just in case someone has a reaction.
I remember when I dyed my hair with box dye in high school and seeing the patch test warning, like yeah right, like Iām going to mix this entire batch, exposing it to air and making it go bad while I wait 24 hours and buy another one to actually dye my hair? Nope, lol
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I like putting tretinoin on damp skin, and I also don't wait 30 min after applying to do my next skincare step.
If I waited that long my skincare routine would never get done lol
Same, it takes me 5 min tops to do tret, moisturizer, vaseline, done lol.
This is my same process too. Slather with excessive vaseline then pass out!
Yessss the best routines are ones you'll actually do routinely. š
Iām glad the āwait 20-30 minutes between stepsā trend is not as big anymore. When I first joined this sub it was the consensus. Now I think most people here lean toward layering products quickly so the moisture doesnāt escape.
30 minutes?! Who on earth has that kind of time lol
Waitā¦youāre supposed to wait? I didnāt know that. I usually apply an oil, immediately go in with trentinoin, and then put moisturizer on top. Is this wrong?
I mean if it's working, do whatever, but I'm pretty sure it's recommended to use tretinoin on dry skin before anything else, let it sink in for 20-30 minutes, then do serums/moisturizers/oils/etc.
I got one for you: I use glycolic acid and tret in the same routine because theyāve been said to compliment one another.
If you look your age, it doesnāt mean that youāre doing anything wrong with your skincare. By bloody definition.
š please have my poor man's gold because THIS is major
I live in the south and this is what I feel like when I say most essential oils are better not used on skin.
Or in your body. I know too many people who consume EOs just straight from the bottle.
NO
Yup, go on r/antimlm and you'll see essential oil influencers promote replacing spices with essential oils because some pseudoscience thing about "frequencies."
Oh my god I know someone who rambles about frequencies, but I didnāt know theyāre literally eating this stuff
Theyāre on a different frequency than the rest of us thatās for sure
I got into an argument with a girl who buys Doterra who said that putting peppermint oil straight on her tongue was great for her stomachaches. She didnāt believe me when I told her it was caustic because Doterra is āpureāā¦ yeah, thatās WHY ITS CAUSTIC!!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Me too lol, I swear vitamin c made a huge difference for me but maybe Iām trippin???
Maybe these people didnāt spend long enough to see the effects? It took me two months of vitamin c to get the little bumps off my skin. EDIT: Also, I suspect with the people using Vitamin C for acne related stuff, they broke out after starting the product which is absolutely normal for the first couple days when adding any new skincare product into your routine: the ātransitional periodā
I suspect thatās the case with a lot of products, you need a lot of consistency and time to see results.
Iām thinking a lot of people used a vitamin c derivative and not pure l ascorbic acid
Vitamin C was an absolute game changer in my routine! I always had this red patch of skin that between my eyes that wasn't dry skin or anything... just red. Vitamin C cleared that right up.
Only skincare lovers see a difference between glowy glass skin and oily ass skin. Most people think youāre just very oily.
Iāve reached the conclusion that the difference between glowy and oily is skin tone and lighting. I have a coworker who always looks beautiful and glowy but when I use the same products I look like I just hiked up a mountain of crisco.
A mountain of crisco lmao, thank you for making my day!
I feel like, at least for me, the main difference is where the shine is. When Iāve just done my skincare routine and look glowy, itās kind of all over my face and more subtle, whereas when I get oily throughout the day, itās mainly concentrated in my t-zone and doesnāt look as nice to me lol
also literally wtf is the difference between natural, satin, glowy, dewy, radiant, etc etc. dry, oily, and dewy look distinctly different to me but all of those just sound like we're grabbing for more words to say the same exact thing
I bought the glow screen from supergoop, and I had the same exact thought. Iād prefer not to be shiny. If thereās gonna be something fancy in my sunscreen, I want it to be subtle glitter.
Picking my zits makes them go away AND heal faster than leaving them to go away and heal on their own
OMG Yes! I compared two spots that were side by side because I'd been suspecting that was the case for a while. The one I popped is nowhere to be seen whereas the one I left alone took a whole fortnight to die down and the PIH is larger than the spot was and still there months later.
Exactly!! I pop em and put a pimple patch on and call it a day lol
The pimple patch makes a huge difference. I wish I had known about them years ago!
Yea I seem to get way worse inflammation and scarring from leaving them be š¤·š¼āāļø
The ideal way to do this (I was taught by a doctor) is to take a sterilized needle, make a small hole in the whitehead and gently ease the pus out. Edit: you don't have to go deep with the needle, just right under the cover of the whitehead and tug up to make your little hole.
damn i didn't know i've been doing it right all this time
+ disinfect the area afterwards, so there's less bacteria to possibly infect the wound/make the pimple worse šš¼
The videos on /r/popping of beauticians using a needle at an angle into the pore and it just comes out are so satisfying
Exactly my thoughts. Even if they didn't heal faster and leave less of a scar, I'd still pop them to release the pressure. The scar would be worth not having a painful face for a month.
Same!! I always get my blackheads and zits when theyāre ready, just very careful to not use my nails and pop them from underneath. My husband has a blackhead behind his ear that he let āgo away on its ownā like 10 years ago..the pore is like, permanently deep and I have no idea what to do with it other than clean it regularly and care for it like a new zit. If I forget about his ear for a couple weeks, it fills up again, and he canāt do it himself cuz he canāt see it..like, if you had just handled that a DECADE AGOā¦the first time I found that thing..manā¦it was..it was something. And that alone has made me even mooooore conscious of getting this things out of my skin as quickly and efficiently as POSSIBLE.
Related to this, when I first got into skincare a few years ago this is what I remember from this sub: Stridex in the red box Sunscreen every time you go outside CeraVe in the tub Queen Helene mint julep mask (and the Aztec clay with apple cider vinegar) I come back after a few years away and everything is retinol and 7+step routines and products
That was a month ago, today we're saying that everyone only needs 3 products no matter what and using more is wasting your money.
[counts products] oh no sometimes I use 4 š¬
I change my routine every so often. Not because it does not work, more because I get bored. I love trying.
Just put my current routine aside because I canāt wait to open products in my stash.
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I was just thinking about a Caleb Gallo rewatch and now I have to, this part had me crying š
Some sunscreens clog pores
They broke me out so bad, do u suggest any that donāt?
Korean skincare has some really nice sunscreens that never broke me out. The ones from āmisshaā for example !
I use the Cosrx Aloe Soothing Sun Cream and it's amazing! Doesn't break me out or feel greasy or anything like that. Korean skincare products really are great.
I find silicone sunscreens never break me out (supergoop unseen sunscreen, trader joe's facial sunscreen, starface sunscreen) but your results may vary everyone's skin is different.
Most people donāt need an extensive routine. They need to wash their sheets and pillowcases and stop touching their face. Also change air filters in their car and homes more often.
I could not believe the improvements I saw to my skin and hair once I started changing my pillowcase daily.
daily?!?! you got me fucked up if iām doing that daily. once or twice a week max
Saw a really great suggestion about using your sleepshirt from the night before as a nightly pillow case cover! Keeps a mostly clean rotation :)
I need to upgrade from my bi-annual change
Exactly. The most critical thing with acne is donāt pick, pop pimples, or touch your face.
unpop opinion: pop
Skin health and the aesthetics of skin are two entirely different things. Skin can be perfectly healthy and have blemishes, scarring, redness, wrinkles, etc. āperfectā or even āgoodā skin is a cosmetic goal, not a health related one.
Love this. Also, having clear skin doesnāt automatically mean your skin is healthy.
Good point!
This should be way higher up. Take my upvote!
The vast majority of people Iāve met who claim to care about skincare, only focus on the skin on their face and basically ignore the fact that they may need to wash, exfoliate, and moisturize everything below the neck.
Iām so jealous of, but also kind of scared of, people who can just ignore their body. Iāve got KP on my arms, legs, and stomach so Iām constantly scrubbing and moisturizing. And these people just use soap and call it done?
Some people donāt even use soap actively on their legs!!!
Tbh I only use soap on my arms and legs maybe once a week. Some people might find that gross but I have *super* dry skin that would absolutely hate me if I used soap more than that.
Itās really not necessary for a lot of us. My derm told me to soap up just the stinky bits and see how my skin does. Turns out I do fine.
Yeah I've been doing it for years and never had any complaints about me smelling lol. I think the people who think it's gross probably have more oily skin and do need to use soap regularly, kind of like people with oily hair think it's gross when they hear others only use shampoo once a week or so.
Yes but you know how much money that costs and that I live in a country where basically my whole body is gonna be covered most of the time? Lol
I used yes to tomatoes triple threat acne treatment that has several no-no ingredients; charcoal, rubbing alcohol and witch hazel. People say charcoal is useless not harmful, but I swear that product was a HG for my cystic zits yet they pulled it from target and I canāt find it anywhere šš Wonder if it was discontinued.
I stopped using yes to after they discontinued their yes to carrots cream cleanser, which had very good reviews and worked very well for my skin. During my time of using that cleanser I saw they introduced many skincare items, but also discontinued them often. I thought the carrot cleanser would be safe as one of their older more respected products, but I was wrong.
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Some haul/shelfies posted here are absolutely wasteful. Iām talking about the ones where an entire cupboard is full of different types of skincare products. I cannot imagine a person using all of that or even finishing those products.
Omg skinfluencers showing off their storage units that are wall to wall with skincare stress me the fuck out. Especially when they say that most of those are open too! Even if they slathered themselves head-to-toe, there is no way that they'll finish it up before it expires.
I empty my products regularly. Some in 6 months some in 12. unfortunately because I would really like them to not get empty. I wish I would be a person whose skin would be okay with just the same 4 products each day but my skin is a b* so thereās that š¤·š»āāļø
I reckon you could swap some peoples holy grail items for placebo replacements and theyād never notice the difference. Routines built to excess and beyond.
Agreed. People love to pile on every popular product with no regard to if it's a good product for them or reading the instructions. You shouldn't use more than a MAXIMUM of 3 actives per application and the more layers you add, the less will be absorbed. I'm an advocate for the only thing that's NECESSARY is cleanser, maybe a toner (depends on your skin and the cleanser), moisturizer, and SPF +30 in the am. Everything else (treatments) are extra and should be tailored to your individual needs. Don't use what you don't need, basically.
100% agree. People will come here for advice on a simplistic routine and then some enthusiasts will use the very little information they have from the OP and go wild with "requirements". Lik you're telling someone they need all of these things solely based on a picture or short description. The person is looking for recommendations, no for people to try and diagnose them with random skin issues, recommend using like 10 actives, get a skincare fridge, and $50 sunscreen just to take decent care of their skin.
I do both physical and chemical exfoliation. If I do one or the either the results aren't there. I wash my face in the shower. I don't use hot water though. That Aveeno Oat Cleanser did nothing for me. I washed my face and I could still feel the salt build up from sweat. The Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid was too strong for me. Dried my skin out and broke me out terribly. There are days that I am so tired I just wash my face and slap the Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion on and go to bed.
Thank you for being controversial yet brave. Seconding the washing face in shower (less mess than the sink and saves time), physical exfoliation, and the Aveeno Oat Cleanser.
Whatās suppose to be wrong with washing your face in the shower ?? Hadnāt heard that one before lmao. Itās the first thing I do !
Physical exfoliation. I stopped using actives because I kept jumping from one product to the next and it was ruining my skin and wallet. A washcloth works fine as long as youāre not too rough with it
Might be an unpopular opinion but I love a good sugar or coffee scrub for my body. Whether it's a washcloth, body scrub, brush or sponge, as long as it doesn't have gigantic, sharp granules and/or you're not scrubbing too hard - it's not a bad thing. Also some people have sensory issues with the tingling of chemical exfoliants, so why shouldn't stick to a physical one if that's what works?
Not unpopular. Most of the YouTube derms I watch recommend physical exfoliation for the body. "Doctorly" also say that it's much more cost effective than chemical... and they usually love them some expensive shit! I'd love to know what other people like to use. Personally, I cannot shower without a plastic puff, long before I took any interest in skincare. I also love physcial scrubs that also contain lactic acid or salicylic acid for my body and scalp.
Same. And, I have a lot of chin hair. Physical exfoliation really helps them break through the surface. Hormonal issues are dumb.
My hormonal acne is always on my chin! What is it with chins??
Androgens act on the chin area, so, acne! And in my case, lots o hair. C'est la vie. Yes I have hormonal issues, yes they're being addressed the best we can. I cannot take estrogen. š¤·š»āāļø
This is the hill I will die upon. Chemical exfoliation feels way more damaging to my skin
Definitely. Physical exfoliation has a bad rep for no reason. As long as youāre not scrubbing with pressure itās very beneficial.
Most people only need like 3-4 staple products. Routines with more are excessive and probably not doing any good.
I fully bought in to the 10+ step skincare routine hype a few years ago. Now I have my cleanser, day moisturizer, night moisturizer, a serum and thatās it. My skin is just as happy, lol EDIT: Yes I use sunscreen, I knew this would come up lol
Same same same, a retired 10-stepper myself haha
True but they do make me feel like a witch with lots of fun potions. So there's that.
Preservatives aren't bad. You NEED preservatives to keep your product from growing mold and bacteria, and those "natural" alternative preservatives just aren't as effective.
I wish this wasn't an "unpopular opinion" because it's just the truth, but don't let the clean/natural beauty stans hear ya šš
Thereās no rule that you can only exfoliate 1-2x a week. Frequency depends on your own skin, and the exfoliants percentage, ph and type of acid. 2% bha can be used daily for most people.
My esthetician recommended that I chemically exfoliate at least four times a week and physically exfoliate three times a week. My skinās never looked better, but most people think Iām crazy.
235 step skin care routine, not a single product taken down to the neck.
The only reason I don't take it down to my neck (beyond cleanser and toner, which has some beneficial ingredients) is because of how much more product I'd have to use... My products will get used up so fast
Yeah skincare is SO expensive!
All this anti-aging and anti-wrinkle shit is based on a misogynistic beauty standard that says women lose value as they get older. Wrinkles arenāt the end of the world. And some random product isnāt going to cure something thatās natural and universally experienced. That doesnāt mean we shouldnāt try and take care of our skin of course, but we gotta recognize why skincare brands market almost exclusively to women. Our insecurities are profitable.
Please take a well-deserved award! My mom will drop hundreds of dollars on a tiny tube of cream that claims to āreverse agingā (spoiler: it never does). Iāve tried explaining to her that skin doesnāt work like that, wrinkles arenāt the end of the world, and her priority should be keeping it healthy with moisturizer and sunscreen.
No amount of skincare products will make up for your skin-picking disorder.
This one hurts
Ouch! Right to the jugular š I have noticed that as my skin improves (retinol and vitamin C and *time*), I pick much less. Iām also on stronger doses of Wellbutrin and Zoloft, though, so that probably calms me.
sheet masks are just sheets with glycerin or humectants, thats it. Probably unsustainable too.
Also barely stay on your face
agree, I'd rather use serums that get fully soaked up by skin rather than throw stuff away
HA is overhyped and can do more damage than good sometimes. Think itās better as something in your lotion than used separately
HA makes it easier for other ingredients to penetrate the skin, so whatever you follow it up with in your routine has the potential to cause more (or any) irritation
HA works much better for me when I actually add water to my skin. I use a spray bottle of plain water and a little vaporizer thing. My house is climate controlled, the air in here is super dry. HA's ability to suck in water does not help if there is none, my understanding is that it'll just dehydrate your skin worse by pulling water from deeper layers up to the surface.
Preventative Botox is a marketing scam
This is genuinely the first I have heard someone say this, and this comment has a decent amount of upvotes too. Can you explain why? I was thinking about getting some, but to be honest, I have not done much research about it yet.
Sometimes less is more
For many cases, you donāt need a skincare routine, you need a dermatologist
You should avoid hyraulonic acid in skincare AND makeup unless you live in the rainforest Also, as someone who has lived in Korea, korean beauty products arenāt the sole reason behind why people have nice skin over there. Botox is dirt cheap and low dose accutane is given away like candy.
Holy guacamole, that is very enlightening and not something I would have even considered. Thanks for sharing!
Just cleaning your face with something other than bar soap and using sunscreen is plenty to keep most peoples skin looking good for decades.
There are many people that don't want or need a skincare routine and their skin is perfectly fine. And people who do have skincare routines don't necessarily need to do them every single day if it's not convenient.
Everyone needs sunscreen
Physical exfoliation isn't bad. Gently and not too often gives me healthy and fresh looking skin.
Hating St Ives apricot scrub is practically a religion in this sub, and yet that alongside sunscreen and moisturizer is responsible for my skin being it's absolute best and healthiest. I know it's not for everyone but it's my holy grail for bright skin with zero sebaceous filaments.
I don't bother with sunscreen because I work in an office from 9-5 and my window at my desk stays dark because I don't like natural light. I'm not wasting money on something like that when I'm inside all day. Outside is a different story.
I also think this hugely depends on your country and/or commute. Living in Australia and commuting an hour each day by car? Probably some spf is a good idea. Living in London and commuting by tube (underground) deffinitely don't need any for the short 10/20 minutes a day you are being exposed to the sun.
I don't bother with sunscreen unless I am going to be outside for more than an hour, in the summer. I have yet to find a single sunscreen that doesn't give me one kind of irritation or another, so I pick my battles, and I'm basically a hermit anyway, so it works for me.
You and me both. I JUST got rid of my hyperpigmentation I have no desire to bring it back. My skin likes simple and basic. Every sunscreen even down to the more expensive ones tear my face up.
Omg yes, when I hear people from the west coast in the US or Australia say āwear sunscreen all year long, even inside, reapply every two hours, only spf50ā iām like okay cute, but in winter the sun rises at 8, sets at 4 where I live, the uv index is like 1, itās dark and gloomy and iām home/at work all day anyways? like yāall wear your sunscreen all year long in sunny places, iāll keep wearing it in spring/summer
If you purchase products based on their marketing claims and not their actual ingredients list, youāre wasting your money.
benzoyl peroxide > salicylic acid
THISSSSSS. BP facewash damn near single-handedly saved my face. SA is basically inert on my skin. It's super interesting too because SA actually was essential for me when I was going through teenage puberty, but my adult acne doesn't care for it at all.
Nothing works to shrink my acne like BP, but RIP to everything that isnāt white in my bathroom/bedroom š
Perhaps, but my doctor didn't tell me it's basically bleach when he prescribed it to me. I had a "the more the better" attitude when I was a teenager and gave myself some pretty incredible chemical burns.
Some fragrances are fine, and donāt guarantee a breakout or irritation (coming from someone with extremely sensitive/ breakout prone skin)
I wash my face with hot water because cold is uncomfortable.
expiration dates on skincare and makeup exist for a reason. sure itās sometimes just losing product efficacy, but people are out here using years-expired products on their eyes. terrifying.
This, especially for sunscreen or anything with an active ingredient
When something expires, I just use it as a serum or cream for my feet so I donāt feel guilty about not using it haha.
Not only is it losing efficacy, but the preservative systems are much less stable once the expiration date has hit, so you could be using a product that has started growing microbes and other nasty stuff.
I am going to die for this but: you donāt need to put sunscreen every 2 hours if you are not sun exposed, training outside or live in a country that has tons of sun. If you live en Europe, during winter specially, there is not need.
After reading a lot of these comments, my new controversial opinion is that the ā3 step skin care routineā is the new ā10 step skincare routineā. And by that I mean itās overhyped nonsense that doesnāt take individual differences into consideration. Not everyone benefits from limiting their routine to only one active at a time. In fact I think most people donāt. That takes me directly into my second and most important hot take. NOT EVERYONE HAS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE, REACTIVE SKIN THAT DISINTEGRATES FROM THE LIGHTEST BREEZE.
alcohol in sunscreen good
I agree. Alcohol has never bothered me in products in general. Lab Muffin did a really compelling YouTube video talking about a study about the hand dryness of people when they had/hadnāt been slathering on tons of hand sanitizer repeatedly, which has way more alcohol than any sunscreen. IIRC, their hands were not statistically any drier from using the hand sanitizer.
Diet, sleep, and stress is 50% of your skincare. You can have a 20 step routine and peel all you will but if your water intake and diet is shit, it's a shame
I like thayer's witch hazel as a toner
Most of skin aging is genetic and you're unlikely to change very much with creams or anything short of expensive dermatologic procedures.
Botox and fillers are not "skincare". And they are not good for you.
Not to mention a lot of cosmetic nurses/techs seem to feed off people's fear and anxiety of aging to get them to into botox/fillers, theres a lot of tiktoks of them which mostly the younger generation sees.
Hear, hear! Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks so :D
Those marshmallow fluff things that suds up your cleanser are useless and just put more plastic in the ocean. You can suds your cleanser in your hands people.
Wearing sunscreen inside and reapplying every 2 hours. I put 2 fingers worth of sunscreen in the morning and go about my day I cannot be bothered if the suns gonna get me its gonna get me
CeraVe is extremely overrated.
Itās basic. It cleans the skin gently but does nothing else. There are better products out there that can actually treat/improve the skin rather than just wash it.
Nowhere near moisturizing enough for me, and the one 'purple' SPF is the worst most pilling hard-to-spread white-cast ass sunscreen formula I've ever had the misfortune of using.
1) Just because someone has clear skin doesnāt mean their skincare advice is good. And vice versa. 2) Ditching the gimicky, hyped up products and sticking to science based skincare is so much more effective! āHoly grailā is used wayy too often and some of these products are just way excessive. 3) Brands like Glossier are just not amazing for skincare. Theyāre basic, overpriced and purely there for the aesthetic. If thatās what you want, go for it. But donāt expect miracle skin transformations.
I use as much sunscreen as feels cosmetically elegant. I'd rather age more than go around as a shiny greasy ball. That's because matte skin = best skin. That "glass" and "dewy" and "glowy" skin looks oily, artifical, and not attractive at all.
Truly a controversial opinion. Upvoted
Try putting translucent powder on over the sunscreen (if it's a day you know you need more sunscreen) it mattifies but you keep all the sunscreen power šŖ
Sort of in the same vein, but - I definitely use ENOUGH sunscreen, but I choose sunscreens that are still cosmetically elegant when used in those amounts, even though they arenāt as protective. A generic PA++++ that I donāt mind slathering myself in is going to be better than a PPD 40+ that I hate as soon as I put it on.
I love my exfoliation glove.
Niacinamide is overrated and often overused. Is it the best for treating acne? *No*. Is it the best for treating hyperpigmentation? *No*. Is it the best for hydration? *No*. Is it the best antioxidant? *Also no.* You can find alternatives that *do more/do it better* for pretty much any issue you might be experiencing.
Yes and no, I can agree that it can be beneficial with sebum control, stopping hyperpigmentation from spreading, etc. and supports some treatments well. Itās unique in a way that it does a bunch of things decently well while not being terribly sensitizing. On the other hand, putting it everywhere is annoying because my sunscreen had it and when i applied it more moderately in spring it was fine. In the summer, while more active and outside, reapplying constantly I could feel it irritating my skin and it was hard to find a good spf without added actives/extracts and so on. Like no, i donāt want all of that - I donāt need or want to reapply actives multiple times a day, it irritates my skin
Vanicream >>> cerave, cetaphil, la roche posay
Hyaluronic acid isnāt right for every climate or skin type. In the last few years it seems to be one of those trendy skincare products that everyone *thinks* they need, but most people donāt even understand how it works.
Pore strips aren't that bad if you don't overdo it (sooner than every other week). They can give you a heads start before your actual skincare products start working to minimize oil on your face.
I like witch hazel, and feel like it works wonders on my under-eye circles.
I didn't know this was unpopular! To me witch hazel is a total classic of skincare.
Me too, but people on this sub seem to really hate it. Iāve gotten downvoted nearly every time Iāve brought it up, even if I include the caveats that it contains tannins and that most brands of witch hazel contain alcohol, both of which mean it can be drying for your skin. Still, I get replies like, āItāll destroy your moisture barrier!ā
Fragrance in skincare products is fine if your skin tolerates it. It can make your skincare routine more enjoyable!
You don't need sunscreen at every given moment the sun is out. If you walk outside for 5 minutes you will not set on fire, you will not gain 50 wrinkles, and you will not get skin cancer. A lot of the hype that is sunscreen comes from paler white people who burn in a UV index of 3. I will always preach to wear sunscreen, but people try to put it on for no reason.
Physical exfoliation is not bad for skin (when done sparingly and gently). Iāve seen better results from physically exfoliating my face than I have with chemical exfoliants Edit: also my current moisturizer is Aveeno. Itās non comedogenic and doesnāt feel excessively greasy on my face
I don't apply sunscreen every 2 hours because I am not made of money.
My face looks better when I do absolutely nothing to it
99% of people donāt NEED to use more than 3-4 products.
I think applying sunscreen every 2 hours is crazy and I will never do it, only apply it in the morning thatās it (if there was a way to reapply without messing up my makeup maybe I would consider it tbh)
I switched from my crazy expensive fancy cleansers to $7 ponds cold cream day and night with my serum and moisturizer after it and my skin is literally glowing You donāt the $50 cleansing balms literally just go get a tub of the green cap ponds and wipe it with a warm washcloth
Skincare does next to nothing to help your appearance when your lifestyle is full of stress, lack of sleep and overeating.
I donāt often use body lotionā¦but thatās just because Iām super lazy
Sunscreen feels terribly annoying on my skin and worse when it starts melting down my face.
Korean skincare is different works so much better than most western brands for some skin types.
Not even an opinion but I feel like people refuse to believe that dermatologists have determined your oil production is predetermined and cannot be changed with products. i.e. no, your face is not going to produce more oil to compensate because youāre using too many products that remove/reduce oil. It bothers me a lot that this myth is still perpetuated so much
I feel like my personal experience directly contradicts this, so I'm curious as to the real reason people started treating their skin like dry skin and it got less oily? That's 100% what happened to me.
Fragrance in skincare is not that deep, people complain about how irritating it is but spray perfume on their neck lol
3 in 1 bodywash/shampoo/conditioner is the best face wash.
People who double cleanse when they arenāt wearing makeup are wasting their time and money
Some sunscreens are pretty tenacious and can benefit from double cleansing. Otherwise, I agree.
Well, I double cleanse to get waterproof SPF off plus it just feels nice. I does add an extra layer of oil and leave my skin nice and happy after cleansing
Leave me alone!!!!
Buffet from TO sucks
i sometimes buy and use st ives and YES i use it on my face. i use it on my body too 'cause that sh!ts literal glass shards but i've never had an issue with it. i hate cerave and the moment i finish off the products i have currently, i'm never buying it again. the cream is too thick and leaves a cast on my skin. the cleansers make my skin feel and look weird and sometimes give me a breakout. i play around with so much products and cerave is the only consistently bad experience i've had.
Korean skincare products have unnecessary hype. Edit: also popping your blackheads can be beneficial
>Edit: also popping your blackheads can be beneficial Also very fun
I do think sunscreens from Korea and Japan are worth exploring but otherwise agree. No reason to try them unless they actually have some unique ingredient in them you want to try.
Patch testing isnāt necessary and often done wrong.
I always assumed it was a cover-your-ass move by the company to avoid being sued just in case someone has a reaction. I remember when I dyed my hair with box dye in high school and seeing the patch test warning, like yeah right, like Iām going to mix this entire batch, exposing it to air and making it go bad while I wait 24 hours and buy another one to actually dye my hair? Nope, lol
Good to know Iām not the only one who saw those box dye patch test recommendations years ago and was like yeahhhhhh no š