Blame it on the skincare, not the skin!

Are you sick of bad skin days? We can relate - the constant battle for flawless skin can be overwhelming and just downright tiring! Having problematic skin can be such a kick to the confidence and can sometimes leave you feeling like your body is broken - but all might not be how it seems. What if we told you your skin isn’t the problem? It could be your skincare that’s to blame!

It’s true, the effort you put into aiding your skin’s health could be what’s causing your issues or indeed making them worse. Your skincare can play a huge part in your skin’s appearance, so if you get that wrong, it can actually leave your skin worse than it was before! Unfortunately, it’s not a ‘one cream fixes all’ scenario, so you need to be clever about what products you add to your skincare regime.

It’s time we took you on a skincare journey of enlightenment - we’ll be working our way through the potential sources of your skincare woes and how you can fix them!

What’s the problem?

Skin irritants and allergies

It’s possible that your skin problems could be caused by allergies. Many people go years without realizing they’re allergic to certain products and for others, allergies can develop out of nowhere at any point in your life! Go grab a product from your skincare cabinet - without looking on the back of the package, can you name the ingredients? Store-bought skincare products can be filled to the brim with chemicals and ingredients we don’t know and can’t even pronounce! There’s a good chance that one of those chemicals could be a skin irritant that's causing you flare-ups of acne, blemishes, dry patches, and even rashes. The most common cause of allergies and skin irritations within the beauty industry is fragrance; your nose might love it, but your skin could tell you otherwise!

Skin type products

It's so easy to get entrapped by the idea of skin types and skin type products. You might think you have one skin type and that’s that - but that's not entirely true. Our skin can change over time, even from season to season! If you’re not constantly checking your skin for changes, you might be using the wrong products for your problems. Skincare products that claim to be exclusive to one skin type can on some occasions do more harm than good, too. If you’re prone to oily skin and you overuse products aimed at striping down those oils, it could be forcing your skin to up its oil production and may just set you back even more. The same goes for dry skin - using too much of a good thing could be your downfall.

Environmental factors

Did you know that the environment plays a big part in our health? There are certain atoms called free radicals within the air that can get into our bodies and start to destroy our cells - this can cause plenty of health issues within the body, including skin problems. Free radicals are the natural irritants of life, found in UV rays, industrial chemicals, cigarette smoke, and air pollutants. If you’re showing signs of premature ageing, sun damage, or any other skin blemishes, it could be down to having too many free radicals in your system.

What's the fix?

Go natural

Here at Beauty Secrets, we’re all about natural skincare products - and for good reason! Making your own skincare from natural products is super simple, can save you money, and you’ll know exactly what you’re putting onto your skin. It makes no sense to keep putting synthetic chemicals on your skin and face that you know nothing about! By making your own products, you’re ridding your skin of any parabens and sulphates and swapping them for natural minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that your skin will thank you for. It’s a great way to be more in control and involved in your skin’s health! Not only will going natural be more beneficial for your skin, but it will be beneficial to the environment, too. Your products will be vegan, cruelty-free, and have zero carbon emissions, unlike the factory-made creams and lotions you see in the stores.

Avoid irritants

To rule out any allergies and sensitivities your body may have, there are a few steps you can take. One method is a total detox; this will consist of completely erasing your skincare regime for at least a month. Once your skin has had time to breathe without the interference of products, you can check for any improvements. Then you can gradually start to add your skincare back into your life, one-by-one until you find the product that’s making your skin suffer! One issue you might have with this method is that it’s based on trial and error within your skincare products, so if it’s a new food that could be causing your skin issues, you won’t find out this way. If you want to be 100% certain and avoid any time-wasting, you can pay for an allergy test - this is a fast and guaranteed way of finding out what ingredients your body doesn’t agree with, including foods!

Swap your products with the season

If you want to keep using skin type exclusive products, that’s absolutely fine - just make sure you’re using the right ones! Try swapping your routine or refreshening it every season to account for the temperature changes. It’s good to keep tabs on your skin type every month or so to see if your products are altering it at all, so do some monthly skin checks, too. Look for the increase or decrease of dry patches and oil, skin inflammation, any breakouts or a lack of them, then let the results decide on what kind of products you should use moving forwards. Remember, skin type exclusive products aim to solve the problem, so you shouldn't have to keep using them!