These steps make it easy to care for your skin again
Posted on September 17, 2022 Written by: 100% PURE®
It’s no secret that everyone needs a skincare routine. But in a saturated market with endless things to try, many of us are using more than we need.
How much of your time and money is spent on skincare? What does that amount to in a month?
If that answer is something to the tune of “too much,” it may be a good sign to clean up your skincare routine.
A simplified skincare routine can do wonders for your skin, your wallet, and even your mental health, but it can often feel a bit overwhelming. Not only must you consider the decluttering process, but there may be some gaps in your skincare goals that need to be addressed. And all too often, this can create a trap of purchasing even more products.
But when you know how to clean up your skincare routine and you go in with a goal, your skin (and bank account) will thank you for it.
Without further ado, here’s how to clean up your skincare routine in 6 easy steps.
Naturally, the first step to cleaning up your skincare routine is decluttering. This can be overwhelming at first, especially if you’ve accumulated a lot of cleansers, creams, and serums.
Start by sorting each product into a pile of “keep,” “recycle” or “repurpose/donate”. It may be tempting to have a “maybe” category, but resist it! You can donate any unopened/unexpired products that just don't suit your skin, and make sure to recycle or repurpose your expired products and empties. Bottles, jars, and bags can be upcycled into flower vases, storage containers, and anything else you can think of. Get creative!
In order to build a skincare routine that’s tailored to your needs, one of the basic requirements should be quality. With the endless array of options in skincare, there are plenty of great products that’ll give you results without breaking the bank.
But when everyone claims to be the best, we as consumers must know how to separate what’s good from what’s wasting space on your counter.
This means being able to read the labels.
As a general rule, it’s recommended to avoid the following ingredients, as they can be irritating for many skin types:
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Hydroquinone
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Mineral oil
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Parabens
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PEGs
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Phthalates
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Sodium laureth sulfate/sodium lauryl sulfate
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Synthetic fragrance
When learning how to clean up your skincare routine, it’s also a good idea to check the expiration dates on products you’ve had on your shelf for a while. After all, we throw out food when it’s expired, so why aren’t we getting rid of expired products for our skin?
Many products will have a PAO (period after opening) symbol, which should list a certain number of months. This number indicates the amount of time a product lasts after opening before it develops a risk of spoilage or contamination.
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As you learn how to clean up your skincare routine, it’s important that you create a regimen that caters to your needs, so don’t buy that serum just because it’s on sale, or that overpriced cleanser because your favorite influencer keeps raving about.
Whenever you shop for skincare products, do so with your skincare goals in mind.
Your skincare goals may involve reducing oiliness in your skin, minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, reducing redness, etc.
Not sure where to start? Knowing your skin type is a fantastic jumping-off point! This blog post on skin types here will help you determine yours.
Learning how to clean up your skincare routine is about more than taking a simpler approach–it’s also about keeping it kinder to your skin and the environment through clean skincare.
In essence, clean skincare is about choosing natural, effective ingredients over those that might be more harmful to your skin & the environment.
Now, it’s important to note here that there is no official definition or standard for “clean” or “natural” skincare. But as a rule of thumb, we recommend sticking with products that are:
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Cruelty-free
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Vegan
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Made with natural pigments
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Paraben-free
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Sulfate-free
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Phthalate-free
Learning how to clean up your skincare routine is a process, and it may take some time to learn what does and doesn’t work for your skin.
But as you continue to experiment and learn, you’ll gain a better understanding of the way your skin reacts to different ingredients, which will help inform your decision as you shop for skincare products.
Once you’ve learned how to clean up your skincare routine, it’s all about maintenance. Remember that your skin is a dynamic organ, and it’s not always going to react to your products the same way.
Sometimes, you’ll need to adapt and modify your skincare–to ensure your skincare routine remains balanced and is satisfying your needs, we recommend revisiting your skincare goals every 6 months.
- Tags: September-2022
We carefully hand-select products based on strict purity standards, and only recommend products we feel meet this criteria. 100% PURE™ may earn a small commission for products purchased through affiliate links.
The information in this article is for educational use, and not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be used as such.