When you’re researching ways to get your best-ever skin, it can be easy to end up with a vast collection of products. Whilst there’s nothing wrong in having lots of beauty items to play around with, sometimes when it comes to skin, less is more. Here are three signs that it may be time to dial down your product usage and think about simplifying your routine for a while.
Itching
Itching on the face can be a sign that the skin barrier is damaged or weakened and that your skin needs a rest. Whilst ingredients such as salicylic acid can certainly work miracles when it comes to cleansing and exfoliating, these ingredients can also exacerbate skin irritations. If you’ve got itchy patches on your face, reduce your skincare regime down to its absolute basics and see if that makes a difference.
Lumps And Bumps
Have you ever had a spot or lump on your face which seemed to come from nowhere? Itchy, red, raised bumps without a head are unlikely to be acne, and are more indicative of a skin sensitivity. Avoid scratching (it’s best to avoid touching irritated skin at all if possible), and stop using all products immediately. Wash your skin with warm water (no rubbing or scrubbing), and after a week of this treatment you can start to introduce products in one by one. As soon as your skin reacts, this tells you that a certain product is causing problems, so stop using it immediately.
Skin Tightness
‘Tightness’ is the term used to refer to skin which feels taut and stretched after a product has been applied. Typically, overly harsh cleansers and exfoliators can cause this problem, so make sure you’re using a sensitive skin-friendly cleanser and avoid any scrubbing at your skin as this will damage the skin barrier.
Not all products work for all skin types, so if you’re experiencing any of these signs of skin irritation take a look at your beauty cabinet and see if you can work out what’s causing the issue.