Hi Klevies! Skincare sometimes can be really tricky, isn’t it? Whether you are a skincare newbie or an expert, there must be a time when you get confused with certain skincare terms. This time, we will help you to understand 10 (ten) terms that beginners get confused about a lot!
1. Skin Barrier
Skin barrier is the outermost layer of the skin that works as an overall skin health protector. Skin barrier’s health really needs to be nicely maintained because once it is damaged, the skin will be more prone to several problems like dehydration, itchiness, dry and flaky, acne, or worse skin infections.
Maintain the skin barrier’s health as soon as you can. Simplifying your skincare routine, balancing skin's natural pH, adding ceramide ingredients to your products, and maintaining good basic skincare will be such a good step to keeping the barrier healthy. (Psstt.. All KLEVERU products are skin barrier-friendly, Klevies. Go check it out!)
2. Basic Skincare
Back to the basic! Basic skincare refers to 3 to 4 skincare steps that you are advised to fulfill before using a new skincare regimen for you and those are face wash, hydrating toner, moisturizer and sunscreen. Think of this basic skincare to be the first step you do before adding more products to your regimes, like serum, essence, mask, and more.
3. Double Cleanse
Double cleansing is a skincare trend that was first popularized in Korea and Japan, and lately, it has become a skincare step by the general public outside those two original countries. This is a process of cleansing the skin using 2 (two) different types of skincare products.
Two common skincare used for double cleansing are called first cleanser (oil-based cleanser) including cleansing oil, cleansing balm, or micellar water. Meanwhile, the second cleanser (water-based cleanser) includes cleansing gel, facial wash, and facial foam. Double cleansing is highly recommended to do during night skincare to clean the dirt that stays on your skin throughout the day like pollution, sunscreen, or even makeup remnants.
4. Comedogenic
One of the reasons why your need to understand the skincare ingredients you are going to use is to avoid new skin problems caused by comedogenic ingredients. Comedogenic refers to an effect of pore-clogging ingredients that trigger blackheads and acne.
5. Exfoliate
The process of shedding dead skin cells by using certain products is called exfoliation. There are 3 (three) types of common exfoliating products; physical exfoliation using granular scrub, chemical exfoliation using acid-based products such as AHA and BHA, and mechanical exfoliation that involves the use of a machine or device by doctors and dermatologists.
6. Breakout
If you are recently using skincare and your skin reacts badly with symptoms like acne here and there is a bizarre area of the skin, stop using the product immediately because you might experience a breakout! Breakout usually occurs because the product you are using is irritating your skin, clogging pores, and showing allergic reactions. That simply tells you that the product you are using is just not for you.
7. Purging
It may have a similar reaction to breakouts, but purging is a natural way to tell that your skin is adapting to the product that you just use. When a product speeds up skin turnover, you will see a rush of blemishes on your skin and that’s totally okay to keep going. Skincare ingredients that potentially trigger purging are hydroxy acids, retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, chemical peels and more exfoliant products like scrubs.
8. Multi masking
This term might sound fun to try! Multi masking is a skincare technique to use 2 types of masks (or more) at once, according to your skin needs. This technique is very recommended for those who have combination skin because it will treat different skin problems in different areas of the face more effectively.
9. Sebum
According to alodokter, sebum is the skin’s natural oil that consists of various components and has an important role in maintaining skin moisture and preventing the growth of bacteria. Sebum production on your skin needs to be taken care of because when the sebum increases or decreases, it might trigger some skin problems.
10. Patch Test
For some people, skincare or cosmetic products can trigger allergic reactions. Although allergic reactions usually are not predictable, with a patch test you can reduce the risk of a bigger allergy. Try to apply a small amount of product to the skin and let it be covered for 48 hours, or you can also simply apply the product behind the ears. Patch test is highly recommended to do when you are trying any new skincare, body care, or hair care products for the first time.
So Klevies, did you know more about skincare terms now? Which one do you find most confusing??