AIBU to think it’s ridiculous how much ‘extra stuff’ has been added to the average routine!

[TheGirlWhoLived]

So a decade ago I used to wipe off my make-up with a 3-in-1 wipe, pop on some cheap moisturiser and brush my teeth. That’s it, that was the extent of my night time routine.

Now I’m late 30’s and suddenly I brush, floss and use mouthwash. Apply a 7-step cleansing/toning/treatment/moisturising skincare plan, use bio oil and tightening creams, take various supplements (including biotin, turmeric, collagen, magnesium, apple cider vinegar, ashwaganda, cod liver oil, b12, k2, d3 ETC) - all before getting into bed.

This doesn’t even include the daytime additions of gut healthy seeds, low upf,7 fruit and veg, 10,000 steps, strength training, yoga for flexibility, fresh air, 30 different plants, kombucha, kefir and whatever else I’m meant to do to stave off illness, it’s exhausting!

Please tell me everyone’s routine has been embellished in the last decade or have I just been taken in by all this extra rubbish!?

You missed out interdental brushes 😀

A lengthy skin routine absolutely fucked my skin.

Wash with sulphur soap and that’s it. Sometimes moisturise with a very basic sensitive cream.

Skin the best it’s been.

It’s no surprise that we’re told we need all this shit - it makes money!

Oh to add - I do obviously clean teeth and floss/denta stick thingys - can’t bare not to now. But I read my book while I do this so does not feel a chore.

cleanse
tone
serum
eye cream
moisturise

3-4 times a week - Gel and NuFace before cleansing

So that makes 7. Have I missed anything? That is my night-time routine.

I'm almost twice your age OP, but I have been really strict with my skincare since my early twenties, especially given how sensitive my skin is. It has paid off. People frequently suggest that I'm 15 years younger. I have very few lines and my skin is smooth.

Keep at it. It's well worth it!

Just stop if you don't like it? You have chosen to add those steps, it's hardly a conspiracy.

How have you concluded that you're "average"?

I didn't know that. Why? What happens?

I’m 51
I have been really rubbish with my skincare the past couple of months and it’s showing
i take a few supplements daily though
vitamin D/k2 I find this helps keep colds at bay , then I take a iron , magnesium , biotin , lions mane and turmeric supplement
biotin has really made a difference to my hair I think
I have dogs so do 10-15000 steps a day but need to look into weights really for bone health .. so I keep getting told

You know supplements are the biggest swiz out there. You don’t need them unlesss blood tests show a deficiency. You’ve clearly been massively taken in by social media crap. Why not ditch all that stuff and go for a cocktail with a friend, life is too short

Yabu . Cleanse and moisturise. Unless you have problem skin then look into my specific treatment. Eat a balanced diet and you don't need supplements. If anything a multivitamin. Obviously fresh air and exercise is a good one but you really have been taken In my all the hype for sure that must be exhausting

Really! I was bored just reading that list.

I cleanse, tone & moisturise, brush my teeth & floss, then go to bed.
In the morning, I do the same plus shower, put on some make up, dry my hair and get dressed. 20 minutes maximum.

As for vitamins, the NHS solved that for me. I had cancer a few years ago, and it was explained that I would optimise my health / immune system by eating 30 different fruit & veg a week, every week. No supplements or fads.
It works. I don't get colds, am in my 60s yet working full time. I run, cycle, practice karate. Plenty of energy. Size 10. Bone density is normal, didn't notice the menopause. Am frequently assumed to be 10 years younger than I am.
It isn't hard to do, tastes good, wastes less time and is much less expensive.

@TheGirlWhoLived YABU I don't believe it makes any difference at all to have all those routines- you are just being tricked by people who want to sell their stuff. I wash my face with water and wear sunscreen that's it. Makeup is only mascara and eyebrows.

This
and love make up

My great granny lived until she was 97 and my granny is now 95 without doing any of those things. I also took some peri menopause supplements once and they ended up messing up my blood pressure somehow. Been put off taking any supplements ever since! I wash my face with aveeno baby wash and use a moisturiser at night and one in the morning with a good spf. I make sure I drink over a litre of water and have generally balanced meals, try and include a bit of fish, but otherwise enjoying life and remembering that aging and death gets us all in one way or another.

OP you're being sold an absolute lie. The phrase 'you're meant to' in your post says it all: who says you're 'meant to'? Advertisers and influences, that's who - because they make money from it. If you really, genuinely enjoy this stuff (and can afford it), then fair enough - crack on. If you don't, then just don't do it! Just because you look and feel good and have great 'gut health' (another marketing phrase), doesn't mean it's because you do all of this. Lots of people do, who don't do any of this.

Does it do any good?
Why is it always only women, who are bombarded with all these extras?
Where are all the primping imperatives for men?

I am 67 and have never done any of that! I have great skin despite only using moisturiser, I take after my 90 year old mother for that. My mum has never used moisturiser in her life.
I wash, moisturise and go, that's it!

The only supplements you should take regularly is vit D

What biotin do you take? I've been taking Viviscal but it's ever so expensive. Any suggestions of alternatives gratefully received!

44 and do hardly anything like that.

I floss.

I moisturise if my skin feels dry.

I lift weights three times a week and run three times a week.

I take vitamin D in the winter.

I feel fine and am rarely if ever ill despite living with two germ spreaders children.

I remove mascara with some of that oil based remover to save me rubbing my eyes red raw with a wipe but that's it.

The rest is just standard childhood stuff: wash face with flannel + hot water, brush teeth (floss if i remember).

My face will age because, shock horror, I'm getting older. I dont tie myself in knots trying to reverse it or slow it down. I'm getting older, my face will change, that's kind of how life goes 🤷🏼‍♀️

I don’t do any of this. I wash my face then tone, cleanse and moisturise in the morning and before bed. That’s literally it. I don’t take supplements, I just eat well.

You shouldn’t do mouthwash around toothbrushing time ! Washes off all the fluoride. If you want to use mouthwash, use it at a separate point in the day.
for blue light, you can put your phone on red mode. I have a shortcut on my iPhone to press my lock button 3 times. It’s much more comfortable to look at if I just want to read some bits before going to sleep.
Supplements can get really overboard so sometimes is good to strip them out and re add what you feel you need / actually helps.

I know lots of women doing all that. I really couldn’t be arsed and think most is unnecessary, possible doing more harm than good.

I wash my face, moisturise, brush teeth. I take a multivitamin. 10 minutes a day.

I do eat healthily most of the time and exercise 4-5 times a week.

So many of the women I know doing all this complain they’re tired and have gut issues. Lots of them have regular skin breakouts and talk about their skin barrier being broken. No shit when you’re putting 20 different things on it before leaving the house and again before bed. They’re such bores about their routine as well.

A lot of what we are told is now essential is a result of someone wanting to sell us more stuff. Look at all the beauty products specifically targeted a menopause and don’t get me started on the health products. I get it that things like magnesium can be beneficial but really the majority of what we are being told is a lot of nonsense fed by algorithms and influencers who need to make money. Delete your instagram and proceed with common sense.

TBH you are wasting your time. I am 64 and I suffered from acne up until I was 55 - I had several dermatologists, when my skin cleared up my last dermatologist said I have the best skin she has ever seen (for my age).
The only thing that can really account for this is the combination of genetics, a good diet of everything cooked from scratch, and the fact I never put products of any kind on my skin, because they automatically caused breakouts- I still get compliments about my skin and I still put nothing on it except occasionally moisturiser if it feels particularly dry.

These are all basic hygiene tasks though?