3 Common Skincare Testing Mistakes

If you are reading this blog, you will well know that I make a hobby and craft out of trying beauty products and most especially skincare. But sometimes it does not always go as smoothly as I hope. So today, I'd thought I'd share some of the mistakes I've made over the years and why it's important to avoid them.

Testing Too Many Things at Once: With so many glorious and intriguing products out there-- and more being released by the minute-- it can be so tempting to want to try everything, and I often succumb to such temptation. There is nothing wrong with this inherently, but often this impulse can lead to trying too many new things at the same time. It is important to remember our skin is a living organ and is constantly processing, changing, and reacting. Introducing so many things that it is not accustomed to all at once is a recipe for a potential overreaction because the skin's responsiveness is so hyped up, and the skin may have adverse reactions such as rashes or breakouts because of this onslaught of new that it may not have endured had each new product been introduced more gradually. Even if you so happen to have purchased products from the same brand or that are designed to be compatible, I still feel its wise to incorporate each item individually as much as possible, see its effects, and monitor for any potential unwanted reactions. Ideally, I would introduce a new product on a five-to-seven day basis to gradually ingratiate the skin to new formulas.

Calling it Quits Too Soon: Along with wanting to try everything, it is also possible to become bored of and dismissive of a product before it is finished in favor of trying something different. Not only can this lead to a bunch of a half-used bottles and tubes cluttering up the vanity, it can also interfere with actually seeing and experiencing the full potential of a product. Many types of skincare require not only consistent but relatively long-term use to deliver their best, most transformative results. This is particularly true of serums aimed at reducing fine lines and wrinkles or products aimed at fading acne scars or hyperpigmentation such as Vitamin C serums that really do work with the skin's rhythm of cell turnover to do what they do. There is no real rushing of these processes, even when they are enhanced by our products, so to assess if something is truly effective or not, finishing up a product completely is in many cases the best, if not the only, way to tell.

Not Following The Nose: There is one exception to the wisdom of finishing up a product to see its full effectiveness that I have often ignored and much to my detriment: using up a product (or trying to) that I do not like the smell of. Now, I am not necessarily talking about a product that smells bad because it has expired but rather a product with a smell I find offensive for whatever reason. Our sense of smell is a primal (and often the initial- most) indicator of something being good or bad for us. Even if a product we may not enjoy the smell of doesn't cause any visible bad reactions on the skin or even seems to work well, being constantly inundated with a bad smell can cause inflammation or other undercurrent responses in the body that are not worth it. These can be anything from headaches to sinus problems if use persists overtime. So while it can be unfortunate to stop using and get rid of a product just on account of how it smells, remember that skincare is ultimately there to make us feel better, not worse, in any sense of the world and that the nose knows!

Trying and testing skincare products will forever be a passion of mine, and it is fun I always want to share. But avoiding these pitfalls and getting too carried away will ultimately make