Hearing so many opinions on results from the users of the same skin care product, it becomes apparent that we don’t get the same results, even within the same age group and usually, it’s explained on the basis of differences in skin physiology or body chemistry. Additionally, because skin is a dynamic system whose condition and properties depend on various factors, so its ability to absorb the skin care products and react, can vary greatly. Great example of that is the use of a perfume, that often smells entirely different on different people. However, there are products that are developed for all skin types and yet, still don’t work for some. Why is that so and can we try to bring our skin up to par for products to work better on it?
1. Are you cleaning your skin thoroughly?
This is the most basic in terms of skin care and yet, some of us are not doing it right. If you’re always using lots of makeup, then it’s important to ensure your face is thoroughly cleanse or even the most expensive skin care product is not going to work so well. So someone who takes time to carefully remove their makeup and cleanse their face thoroughly is definitely going to reap better benefits from using the same products vs one who is nonchalant about this basic step. As a thumb of rule, I really recommend everyone to double cleanse.
2. Are you having excessive dead skin buildup?
The dead cells on our skin are supposed to shed naturally over a period of time, but some people may find theirs harder to shed off completely and over time, these result in a buildup, causing one’s skin tone to look ashy and dull. In this case, skin care products may not work as well, especially if they contain active ingredients that are supposed to work beneath the epidermis. As such, those with excessive dead skin buildup will wonder why the cream works for others but not them. Even powder would not adhere that well and will look patchy or cakey. The answer could lie in the fact that they’ve not been exfoliating their skin well enough. Hence, it’s good to exfoliate our skin once a week so as to allow your skin to absorb moisture and for products to work more effectively.
3. Are you applying your product correctly?
I noticed that some products these days come with detailed application instructions or even a demo. Some toners are not meant to be wiped on by cotton wool but patted into the skin by hand. Then there are the face sculpting creams where you need to follow a certain method to ensure that you’ll get the desired V-shaped contour. You may also be wondering why the eye cream works better for your friend but perhaps you have not considered that your friend actually took the trouble to tap the cream into the eye area? Even results from a basic moisturizer will differ when you apply it on completely dry skin or slightly damp skin; the latter being encouraged because most ingredients penetrate better when they’re dissolved. And in the past, we might have just spritz on a face mist thinking that it will help to hydrate our skin? Well, that only refreshes but will eventually make your skin feel drier and perhaps secrete more oil and subsequently causing your makeup to streak. The trick is really to spritz and then use a tissue paper to pat off the water and not leave the water to evaporate from the skin.
4. Are you applying your products at the right time?
Apart from the moist factor, most skin care products also work better when the skin is warm so the best time to apply skin care products is really after a warm bath. If you’re using products with active ingredients such as vitamin C, then it’s very important to consider the time you’re applying the products. Some of these products may suggest that you can apply it both day and night but that is not true as the benefits of such active ingredients can get “cancelled out” by sun exposure. Hence, you might then start to wonder why the product is not working for you when everyone else is raving about it. Actually in the day, all you need is to apply a moisturizer with SPF. You can leave the serums and hydrating creams for night usage as skin cell renewal rates is really higher at night than during the day. So the mantra should be – protect your skin during the day and renew it during the night.
5. Are you skipping an important skin care routine?
One important factor that explains why products work better for others and not you could lie in the fact that you may not be protecting your skin well enough. Perhaps you are not protecting your skin effectively against free radical damage while your girlfriend is taking all the right precautions through her other skin care products as well as her diet? As a result, the product may have to take a longer while to work on your skin while it is already yielding fantastic results on your girlfriend.
Obviously, there are other reasons contributing to why products may work better on others and those will largely have to do with their lifestyle. However, if you have such a problem, then you may want to first start off by examining your own skin care routine based on the five I’ve listed and find out if you’re doing something wrong to sabotage your own efforts.
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