One of the hardest areas for me to declutter is my bathroom. I am an admitted skin care junkie and I rarely want to get rid of any of my collection! Perhaps I have ‘bought into’ all of the claims that companies make, making me believe that the next product will revolutionize my *ahem* over-forty skin. Or perhaps I simply enjoy my self-care routine and am not willing to give it up. Self-care has become such a hot topic in the last year or so, and I have believed for years that if we do not take care of ourselves, we cannot take care of others.
In fact, I actually credit my ability to fall asleep quickly to my nighttime skincare routine. I think it helps prepare my mind and body to transition into sleep time. Of course, being tired from life could be a factor too!
But I’ve spent the last year or so using up my skincare collection so that I can focus on using just the essentials that will help me meet my skincare goals. And that is really what minimalist skincare is about — using just the right products and the right number of products to meet your skin care needs!
- Cleanse if necessary. I don’t find that it’s always necessary in the winter when my skin is drier but sometimes it is refreshing in a hot Texas summer.
- Moisturize with a product recommended for your skin type. Even oily skin needs moisturizer to help it stay balanced and to not overproduce more oil.
- Sunscreen is essential. Now if you want to minimize as much as possible, you can always use a moisturizing sunscreen or even a tinted moisturizer with SPF for a triple minimalist product!
- Cleansing is always necessary at night. We wear makeup sometimes; we perspire when we exercise; our skin produces oil; and our complexions are exposed to any number of environmental factors. It is important to remove all of that before we go to sleep.
- I think treatments work best at night, when our skin is freshly cleansed and will be resting for the night.
- There is a moisturizer for every skin type, from the driest to the oiliest to the most sensitive.
- Exfoliate with a skin-type-specific exfoliator. The frequency does depend on your skin type as well as the type of product.
- I do love my masks! Honestly, I usually have a couple of masks in my collection, so that I can choose one based on what my skin needs on that day. In the winter, I more often use a creamy moisturizing one and in the summer, I usually opt for an exfoliating or a cleansing one. You can even try multi-masking! That’s using a different product on different parts of your face.
- Visit your dermatologist at least once a year for an annual skin check. I started this self-care about fifteen years ago. I have had one skin biopsy (negative, thank heavens) but that scare has made me diligent about the annual mole measuring!
