Saving Your Skin and Wallet: How to Avoid Costly Skincare Mistakes

Growing old is unavoidable. However, we don’t want to age out badly. That’s how skincare comes into the picture. In supermarkets, beauty shops, and even kiosks, you will find all sorts of skin care products for people of all ages. 

Taking care of your skin has endless benefits. Some of the benefits of a good skincare routine are you may have reduced visible pores, wrinkles, and under-eye circles. A good skincare routine can make skin look younger and healthier. The skin naturally becomes less elastic with age, which can cause it to look sagging and crepe-like. Skin can regain its firmness and even texture with proper skin care. Lastly, a good skincare routine leaves your skin looking good and this can boost one’s confidence. If you don't take care of your skin, you might end up having a lifeless complexion, which can negatively impact how you feel about yourself. But if you stick to a consistent skincare routine, you'll look better and feel more confident knowing that your skin is in the best shape possible.

Skincare isn’t just a female affair, it's something that’s all-rounded. Admittedly more women, young and old care about their physical appearance more than their male counterparts. While taking care of ourselves we might end up overspending on skincare and in some cases, you might be overspending on skincare that’s not bearing any results.

Not sure if you are overspending on skin care products? Here are some ways you might be overspending.

1. Overusing Products and Depleting Resources

A common misconception is that the more you regularly use your products the faster you see results. That’s not the case. You might use all your products, finish them, and not see not results or your condition might become worse.

‘When overusing active ingredients or constantly changing formulas, your epidermal barrier function becomes impaired and too much water evaporates from the skin, causing a lowered water content in the stratum corneum,’  Alexis Granite, consultant dermatologist for CeraVe says.

2. Frequent Product Switching and Inconsistent Habits

You might be in the habit of buying a lot of skin care products. You might think that’s okay because you are trying to see what works or what’s best for you. You do this so frequently, you don’t give the products enough time to start to work. As a result, you are spending thousands of Shillings on products you may have only used once or not at all.

3. Falling for Marketing Hype and Impulse Purchases

It's exciting to know there are a lot of products and options out there that you can try out for your skincare routine. With the rise of social media channels like TikTok, you might feel like every second a person on your feed is trying out the latest viral products. It’s very difficult to not get caught in the hype. You end up hype-spending on product after product. 

Tips for Purchasing Skincare Products

1. Know your Skin Type and Skin Concerns 

Let’s say the type of skin you have is dry and sensitive and usually can’t handle strong exfoliating acids. However, you end up buying an exfoliating product. After you use it, you find it too strong for your skin type and you do not need it.  

Whether you have dry, oily, or a mix of both knowing what type of skin you have and the areas you want to focus on makes sticking to a routine more manageable. Understanding your skin type will help you know what products or ingredients best work for your particular skin type. It can help you focus on your concerns and goals like dealing with acne, hyperpigmentation, or dehydration. It also helps you resist the temptation of trying several products some of which might not work on your skin. 

What do you do when you are not sure a skin care product isn’t right for you? There are a few things you can try. See if it's possible to try out a sample of a product before buying huge amounts of it. Another thing you could do is read reviews. Spend time online to read up on your target skin care products. Look for testimonials, visit online forums, and learn about the product from the actual experiences of people. This could help you determine if the target product is good and from a reputable company before you spend on it. Another way to have amazing skin is to talk to a dermatologist. They will know your skin type and could recommend products that suit your kind of skin. A dermatologist can also point out skin problems and suggest a possible skin routine that can help you get healthier skin. 

2. Get your Basics Down First 

Before you go off buying skin care products made from milk from cows that live on the mountain tops of the Himalayas start with the basics. The skeleton of every skincare routine is having a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen according to centerforsurgicaldermatology . 

You could consider purchasing these at your local drugstore. There are a vast variety of affordable options for cleansers and moisturizers. Keep your skin type in mind while purchasing the basics too.

3. Give Enough Time to See Results

Are you treating your skincare like speed dating? Cutting and changing products that failed to live up to your expectations and swiping left when the next shiny thing in skin care comes along.

The saying Rome wasn’t built in a day speaks volumes when you start your skincare journey. You will not see results overnight. Be patient with your routine. You can’t start using anti-aging cream today and expect to look younger after a few minutes. Give products time to work. According to dermatologymohsinstitute, a good skincare routine should be followed daily. It takes about 28 days to notice some change because that's how long it takes for new skin cells to form. It's only after 3-4 months of diligently following your routine is when you should notice a change in your skin. Your skin may feel smoother, look and feel hydrated and you might even have a natural glow. However, if you see little to no change, this is an opportunity to reevaluate the products you have been using.

4. Limit Active Products.

Apart from giving time to the products avoid using several active products ( the ingredients in your cleanser, serum, moisturizer)  in one routine. How many beauty products do you own? An overflowing cabinet full? Do you have extras lurking in every corner of your house? In your wardrobe, in your bags, on your sink?  While many of us take pride in having a bountiful of products, how many products are we actually using and how many of those products are active products?  Active products in skincare refer to products specifically designed to target certain 'problem' areas such as dry skin, hyperpigmentation and acne. Using too many active products at once can irritate your skin by means of how they work. Many active products that work to improve skin texture and aging can cause irritation as a side effect.

"The skin is a very simple organ that craves balance," says Dija Ayodele, aesthetician and founder of Black Skin Directory."

When you use too many products and ingredients, your skin gets conflicting messages, which eventually causes inflammation and may worsen your skin concern." 

By looking at the label on the back of the product or searching online for the ingredients list, you can quickly figure out what the active ingredients in your skincare products are. Commonly used actives include retinol, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA), Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA), niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, SPF, ceramides, and benzoyl peroxide. Each of these active ingredients deals with different skin concerns.

Limiting the number of active products you use not only saves you from experiencing irritation but also saves you money from dealing with the side effects.

Wrapping Up

Between family, work, friends, and your other commitments, you can easily get overwhelmed by the amount of products that are out there, which ones do you need and which ones can you skip? 

It can be hard to find the time to take care of your skin and this might result in inconsistency or buying any product that is easily accessible at your local drugstore. One of the best ways for your skincare routine to be effective is to be consistent with it.  Like any other activity, if you want to maintain form, you have to exercise regularly and if you want to have good skin, you must be consistent with your skincare routine.