As we look toward the beginning of a new season, we want to provide a “refresher” of tips that highlight ways to create a thriving skincare routine that works for you.

 

Determine your skin type

A visit to a licensed esthetician is probably the best way to figure out your skin type. If this is not an option for you, here is a simple description of the more common skin types and a few quick methods for determining where you fall:

Dry Skin: Does your skin feel tight 10-15 mins after using a gentle cleanser to wash it? Try making facial expressions and see if your skin feels tight and/or looks ashy. If so, you likely have dry skin. The best remedy for combating dry skin is to make sure the products you use have ingredients that do strip the skin of its natural oils, and also ingredients that attract moisture and effectively hydrate the skin such as emollients.

Normal/Combination Skin: Do the same wash test from above and if your skin does not feel like it’s being pulled tight and there is some shine in the forehead and nose area, then you most likely have normal/combination skin. People with normal/combination skin are not susceptible to frequent breakouts on the cheeks and they may even experience dryness in the cheeks on occasion. However, they tend to have a well moisturized or sometimes oily T-zone (forehead, nose and chin areas).

Oily Skin: Do you find yourself constantly blotting your forehead, nose and cheeks during the day because your face is shiny and oily? Or the same face wash test from above leaves your T-zone and cheeks oily? Are you prone to frequent breakouts? You very likely have oily skin. Excess oil clogs pores and can trap bacteria which leads to breakouts. Oily skin is also prone to hyperpigmentation following breakouts. It is best to have a good cleansing and exfoliating regimen for this skin type.

Bolden’s face line has several products that address the skin types listed above.  
                               

Choosing & Using New Products

Once you learn your skin type and are able to pinpoint what problem areas you’d like to work on (dehydration, blemishes, uneven skin tone), it’ll be easier to navigate different brands and products. If you’re nervous about potential allergic reactions, you can perform a skin patch test of the product in the crevice of your elbow before using it.

 

The Routine

Having a morning and evening skincare routine is not only great for your skin, but it’s also a great form of self-care. It forces you to slow down and guarantees you at the very least, two times of the day for yourself. Depending on the time you are willing to give, the steps in your routine can vary from 4 - 10 steps. However, these steps below should always be the foundation of your skincare routine:

1. Cleanse
2. Exfoliate
3. Moisturize
4. SPF (Morning)

You should also have a weekly routine where you treat and pamper your skin with exfoliating scrubs and nourishing masks. We recommend using exfoliating scrubs 2-3 times a week but ultimately, you should pay attention to your skin’s response and determine a routine that works best. For more on different types of face masks and what they do, checkout a previous Bolden blog post: Face Masks: An Intro.

Lastly, we recommend a monthly evaluation of your skin; is it drier? Oilier? Any new spots? This helps you keep tabs on any changes in case you need to change up your daily or weekly routine.