Hi everyone! I stumbled upon this post by Tine of Beautyholics Anonymous about skincare myths that we've all read and heard at some point in our lives and I found it rather interesting! I thought I'd write down what, I, personally, already know about these myths (not to show off, just to document) and see what I'm doing wrong or right. By the way, I hate the word 'myth'..! Don't you?
Let's see, one common myth is that you're supposed to use a toner, either to remove what the cleanser left off or to restore skin to it's PH.
My take: I've found that my skin doesn't need a toner, if and when I buy one I never use it and it doesn't do anything different to my skin. Instead of toner, I've even tried using rosewater (which would be a nice natural alternative) but that only offers my skin refreshment and I stopped using it because I don't think the rosewater that I'm using is pure or fresh enough (plus I use up an extra cotton pad for no reason and it is dirt cheap so it's questionable).
Another one is cleansing twice a day. I pat myself on the back about this one because I only ever properly cleanse once a day (initially, due to laziness haha). I think that some people will want to clean their face in the morning, though, at least with a quick face wash like a gel cleanser. But that still is bad. Ugh, skincare is a pain...
My take: I used a gel cleanser in the past and it was stripping my skin (as in making it dry, stripping it of its natural oils), THEN I got in the habit of just cleansing at night and using water in the morning and my skin is happier. I am not sure if cleansing the face twice a day would contribute to over-cleansing but I've found it really works for me; I don't know if it is because my skin is dry but I do believe that EVERYONE, even oily-skinned people shouldn't use something harsh in the morning. Anyway, by now, you get the gist of this myth/rule.
Another one is about over-exfoliation (and if scrubbing will make skin glow). I don't exfoliate enough (again, due to laziness), I don't think girls over-exfoliate but maybe they like the feel of clean skin?
My take: I do think exfoliating in a normal manner (it comes down to personal preference and skin type) will reveal better, glow-y skin because the dead cells are sloughed off. Of course too much is a bad thing but who does it too much? I wonder. But let's not forget of our natural oils that can make skin glow, too. (I learned about this the past years.)
Dryness associated with fine lines and wrinkles. Yes, I think dry skin can accentuate the fine lines and/or wrinkles that we have but I don't think dryness causes fine lines and wrinkles and honestly, who does? So it's maybe just a stupid, gimmicky myth?
Foundation with an SPF and feeling fully protected from the sun's rays. Hmm this one's a tough one but personally I don't rely on foundation for sun protection in the day (yes I would have relied 5 years ago when I didn't wear sunscreen and didn't know the importance of sunscreen - probably I wouldn't care). The claim is that we would need a lot of foundation to get the benefits of SPF, so that's why they recommend a proper SPF sunscreen.
Nano-size titanium dioxide sunscreen causes cancer. I'm not well informed on what is nano-sized and this whole deal. I've only heard of nano-sized ingredients (particles in ingredients?) and I know that Silk Naturals and some other mineral make-up companies claim not to have them in their products. So that was good enough for me. Would they penetrate in the skin (because they are nano-sized)? A scary thought. I'm sorry but I don't know about this so you're better off doing a bit of research.
My take: Personally, I haven't done my research on this and I only took the word of natural make-up companies and the general consensus that nano-sized is bad (you are free to laugh at me).
Getting rid of blackheads with extractions. This one is my favorite haha. The claim is that "pulling and pressing on pores can cause scarring" and... I don't know about this either. I have no idea what extractions do or don't do to the skin (how should I know, really?) I don't know the benefits either, they remove blackheads but at a cost to your skin? You can even do it at your home, right? With a special tool?
My take: Well, I have never done a facial, let alone an extraction and I am not a fan of letting someone pick and touch at my skin. Then again, I don't have a lot of blackheads, but even if I had, I would choose another way to remove them. I choose to believe that extractions are not a good thing.
This post is way more long than I planned. Maybe I'm over-analyzing but these are my two cents.
I'd like to add that there is no right or wrong when it comes to skincare, there are no real rules and the best thing is to experiment with products, formulas (cleansing creams, milks, foaming ones, gel ones etc.). Eventually you will find that your skin likes some things and doesn't like (or can't tolerate etc.) other things. Plus, it's a matter of personal preference, too.
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