Stripped back skin care routine

[NinetySixer]

Over the past couple of years I have developed a long winded skin care routine. The problem is that I’m not sure whether it’s entirely necessary. In addition to this I travel lots for work and I’m getting tired of lugging a huge and heavy toiletry bag around and hate the environmental impact of using so many products.

I’d love to hear people success stories of stripping back their routines.

Mine is currently:

AM
Cleanser
Dragons Blood Serum
Eye serum
Moisturiser

PM
Cleanser
Pixie Glow Glycolic
Vit c Serum
Eye serum
Retinol
Moisturiser

Plus face masks and exfoliating when needed.

For context I’m late 20s with good skin that get somewhat dry

@Shazafied oh no! My DC are older now thankfully, though that just brings fresh concerns, but theoretically more sleep, when my insomnia isn't making itself known anyway.
OK, so a good place to start with retinoids is The Ordinary Granactive 2% retinoid in squalane. Its £7.80, and should last quite a long time as you only need a little at a time.
You don't plaster retinoids on unless you want your face to look dry and scaly like a dinosaur's butt.
There are many other retinoids available, but this is one of the cheapest and its a genuinely excellent product, you wouldn't get better by paying more.
When you start using it, start off twice per week in the evenings, then after a couple of weeks build up to three times per week, then every other day. If your skin can tolerate it you could use it every day eventually, but there's not a huge amount of need to, it works as well using it every other day, and that way you can use the alternate day to nourish your skin too.

There is the option of prescription strength retin-A, which I use, and which is the most miraculous substance in the known universe. Fact. Joking aside, it is a miracle worker, it was originally developed as an acne medicine, and over the decades of studies of was discovered to have remarkable anti-ageing effects too. So not only does it make your skin clear, even toned and flawless, it also helps prevent and to a degree reduces existing wrinkles.
Over the counter retinoids do the same, but they're nowhere near as strong, still very effective though. If you're in the UK and want to go the prescription strength route, you'll need to order it online, or from a Spanish or Portuguese pharmacy (Andorra Pharmacy is one of the good ones I think?) or if someone you know is visiting either country, ask if they'll grab you some from a pharmacy as its over the counter there. The brand name is Retrides. If you do go this route, start with the 0.025% concentration, its vastly stronger than over the counter retinoids, and for anti-ageing you don't really need to go for 0.05 or 0.1% strength.
In studies all the retin-A concentration's ended up having the same results long term, you just get there a bit quicker with the higher strengths, but have more side effects. I.e. dinosaur's butt face.

Now, retint and retin-A are very drying, so you need to be using gentle and hydrating face cleansers and toners - none of that scrub your eyeballs out St Ives stuff, or you end up with dinosaur's butt face .

When using retinoids or retin-A, drop all exfoliators, hopefully the only exfoliators going anywhere near your face are chemical ones, such as glycolic acid, but you need to drop them for quite a long while whilst your skin syncs up with the retinoid/retin-A. If you are using an physical exfoliators near your face (looking at you St Ives) relegade it to your feet, and possible your legs. Physical exfoliators are not good for your skin and whilst they temporarily mame your skin look perky, they can cause microtears and damage long term.

Back to retinoids/retin-A. You must use a proper facial sunscreen with them as they do make your skin more sensitive to the sun, plus you're just undoing their benefits if you don't. I love Canmake Mermaid Gel as its cheap, non drying, non greasy and feels great, plus it's brilliant under makeup, Biore Watery Essence is also very good, and there any quite a few others you can get on Amazon which are good. The La Roche Posay one is great, but more expensive and I think the Canmake is better to be honest.

Oh ffs now the dog is moaning . Will finish posting in a second.

Wow that is so incredibly helpful thank you so much! You have already answered any questions I was going to ask-amazing XX

Seriously, cat was sat on dog's blanket and he wanted me to move the cat.

Anyway, do you use a facial oil? If not, rosehip oil is often a good place to start, though I love Jasmine oil personally. Again, they're cheap and good on Amazon, and help to shield your akin from the dinosaur's butt face effects of retinoids.

Eye cream, is it a con? Yes and no, depends what you use it for. It is essentially just very rich face cream, but if you don't nwant to use a very rich face cream and need something a bit extra around the eye area its brilliant.
Likewise if you want to use a specific ingredient around your eye area, like caffeine (such as The Ordinary's caffeine eye cream stuff) then its brilliant. Although be aware the effects will only last for twelve hours or so, maybe twenty four at a push, so if you aren't using it every day twice a day you won't notice the benefits.
I apply my prescription strength retin-A all over my face, right up to the lash line on my eyelids. That is very much against the advice of my dermatologist, but doing it that way makes so much more of a difference than avoiding my eyelids.
So to avoid the dreaded dinosaur's butt face, I need a rich cream for my eye area, hence eye cream becomes useful. I could use a very rich face cream, and it would serve the same purpose, but I like creams with caffeine in around my eyes, and caffeine isn't usually added to general face creams.

Lastly, occlusives, such as Vaseline, as the last step of your nighly skincare make a huge difference, they really help to lock your skincare in and help it work better.

Sorry that was so long

@Shazafied you're very welcome, I hope some of it's useful x

Christ on a bike, where did my paragraphs go?!? Sorry!!

*> goes to stock up on plain pillowcases and industrial quantities of Vaseline. Aware of how dodgy that sounds!

I bought the ordinary 2% retinoid on Saturday and they said to use it every night so I have done! I'm glad it's getting a good review... will give it a miss for a day or so though.

I reviewed my skin care massively last year and it's made a huge difference. I'm still fiddling but my skin is much better than it was (even with peri hormone distortion playing silly buggers on a regular basis)

I do this

Am wash with a facial wash, l'oreal pink flower one is my favourite, then dragons blood serum then moisturiser then biore watery essence.

PM Nivea double action eye make up remover if I've worn any, an oil based (solid oil) cleanser massaged in and washed off with a muslin cloth, the ordinary retinoid mentioned above. Evenings I don't use the retinoid I'll go back to the night cream I was using which was working well.

I've also bought a mask from the ordinary to use weekly.

All critique welcomed! It works well but I could undoubtedly work it harder.

LlamaofDrama using it every night will give you results more quickly, but it does increase the side effects, and you risk damaging your skin's moisture barrier. That said, some people can go every day from the get go with no dinosaur's butt symptoms. If its working for you every day, keep an eye on it and maybe give your skin a night off every week

Other than that I would add an occlusive to your routine as a last step at night, and maybe think about including a facial oil too .

Oh yes, and llama if your forehead starts feeling tight when you move it, or you start getting flaky skin around your nostrils, that's when you need to ease back with retinoids

I have a v stripped back skincare routine. I'm late 40s and I'm often told my skin is amazing and that I look 10-15 years younger.

Morning: Wash face with warm water. Apply jojoba oil as a moisturiser

Evening: oil cleansing method (using olive oil). Apply jojoba oil and then Vaseline.

Weekly: scrub and charcoal mask

I've only started the Vaseline recently and I think it's making a visible difference. I have v few lines anyway but it's softened those I do have.

I think the biggest difference to skin is healthy lifestyle (diet, stress, environment etc) tho, tbh.

I bought some Retin-A in Spain, but have been too scared to use it as it's summer and I'm aware of the danger of using it and then going into the sun. I also didn't know about this leaving it for an hour thing. I was going to put it on before bed, but do I have to put some facial oil on afterwards? Any tips appreciated.

That's quite similar to my routine @Seer, except I put on sunscreen in the am. Simple is best.

@Gwenhwyfar which strength do you have?

Yes, when you first start off its best to go slowly and buffer it. So cleanse your face and apply a very thin layer of moisturiser.
Wait for the moisturiser to dry completely (this is very important) then apply a pea sized amount of retin-A over your face, and half a pea for your neck.
I do the backs of my hands and my décolletage too.

Leave it for an hour to work and then apply your usual evening skincare from after the toner stage onwards. So for me that's facial oil - hyaluronic acid - moisturiser - Vaseline.

A facial oil is a really good idea if you're using retin-A, plus oils are brilliant and making your skin glow.

I always think the UK advice not to start retin-A is summer is a bit over zealous. I live in Arizona and I have friends in hotter places (including Egypt) who use retin-A year round.
So long as you are diligent with sunscreen and not getting sunburnt you'll be fine, according to my dermatologist when I asked her on behalf of one of my UK based friends.

Thank you eaten! The shopping list grows 😀 I'm a bit nervous about vaseline as my main use for it in the past was for my horse's backside! But I can be brave about it. I'll look out for a facial oil, can you use any oil (not engine oil) or do I need one that's specifically marketed at/ formulated for facial use?

Still following this awesome thread !

You're welcome llama yes!!! I know, i keep a different tub in the tack room!! Hope that goes without saying!
I was very skeptical about the Vaseline too, but kept reading about it on reddit and have never looked back.
There was a thread (think I put a link on the previous page?) where other posters tried the Vaseline with great success, just so you know I'm not loca, well, about that at least

And facial oils, the one I use is marketed as a whole body oil, but the ingredients are all things my face loves, so I took a chance on it. Glad I did as its fabulous, its Measurable Difference's Jasmine Oil, not sure if its available in the UK though.

Generally speaking, get one which says that it's for the face either on it or in the blurb.
I really rate Amazon for finding good facial oils, there is a huge range and you can pick up some brilliant ones very cheaply

Again, personal preference, but I tend to rule out any skincare item which cost more than $10, unles its a litre version of course, as I really don't feel you have to spend a lot to get fantastic skincare, and IMHO there are precious few products worth spending more than that on.

I was recently given some Liz Earle products before that I used Estee Lauder and washed my face. Now using the washer then hot cloth, toner and then moisturiser. It feels really good. I loved Estée Lauder but if I rub my eyes and got a little in it hurt and watered for ages afterwards.

I don’t wear make up much, eat healthily and I ‘m out in the fresh air a fair bit.
A new person at work was surprised when I told her how old I was. I ‘m getting on a bit.

"So long as you are diligent with sunscreen and not getting sunburnt"

I am diligent with sunscreen, but still get burnt sometimes. However, we've had a a few winter days recently despite it being August so I might start with it. I never envisioned having to put moisturiser on before AND after though and I think that might be a routine that is too complicated for me.
At the moment I either just go to bed, or if I'm feeling really good, use cleanser or wipes and then a night cream.
I do wear sunscreen every day, it just isn't always enough in the summer.

Hi all,

I’m not sure that anybody will see this as this is quite an old thread now… But I thought I’d try my luck anyway!

Following the wisdom and advice on this thread I have decided to up my game slightly-although I do need to keep my regime incredibly quick and simple because I have very little time.

I have decided to add an oil free SPF 30 day cream in the morning and The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane in the evening. I will see how it goes with retinoids, and may increase strength / usage as time goes on. I will start applying it twice a week before my rich night cream, and will maybe up to every second day. After that I might be something of increased strength perhaps the prescription only variety.

I just had a couple of questions if anybody knows the answers?

-Do I need to remove the ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane before I apply my night cream?

-I am so confused by all the different types and strengths of retinol products. For example on the ordinary website the list of retinol containing products is as follows:

Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion (Moderate Strength, No Irritation)
Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane (Moderate Strength, No Irritation)
Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane (High Strength, No to Low Irritation)
Retinol 0.2% in Squalane (Low Strength, Moderate Irritation)
Retinol 0.5% in Squalane (Moderate Strength, High Irritation)
Retinol 1% in Squalane (High Strength, Very High Irritation)

How do you know which is actually strongest (different formulations , carriers and strengths are confusing me!) and how do these percentages relate to the percentages of prescription strength Retirides available ( 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1%)?

Thanks so much x