When my circle starts speaking about skincare, I fight for a place to spew the fact that I spent a lot of the time I should have been studying for my GCSE’s actually ploughing YouTube for the best skincare and make up advice.

Needless to say, a good portion of my EMA (a missed blessing) and money earned from my first job got spent on a collection of skincare and make up products to provide for the masses. I tried EVERYTHING, and I even got sucked into the infamous Korean 10 step skincare guide – that was an expensive year for me to say the least.

I’m pleased to say my bank statement’s no longer looking like I’m trying to start a home-run beauty supply store anymore, I’ve reduced my skincare routine down to three essential and natural products based on the countless years of research and trials and I can honestly say my skin has/is thanking me for it, alhamdullilah.

I by no means have the most amazing skin out there, but it doesn’t cause my confidence to dip like it used to and I can maintain a no make-up day with a little more ease now as well.

First thing’s first- find out your skin type, this will effect everything from here!

You’ve got to figure out what kind of skin type you have. It can be as simple as finding out if you have oily or combination or dry skin, but it’s also figuring out what ingredients cause your skin the issues that you contend with – for me, my skin is oily but it’s also prone to comedones (otherwise known as blocked pores – little bumps that don’t ever rise to being spots) so they kind of just rest under your skin and make it bumpy. This is caused by being prone to highly comedogenic products (anything with very fatty or insoluble oils, e.g coconut oil), and these can appear in cleansers, make up products or treatments. You can check what ingredients cause comedones for prone skin with a quick google search to seeing where they are on the comedogenic scale.

Cleanser

I find the most useful method for removing even the smallest traces of make up (extremely important for a better skin care routine) to be using an oil to remove everything in combination with a hot cloth (preferably organic muslin as it also functions as a light exfoliant) – I do a double cleanse with the hot cloth, either side of the cloth until every bit is removed – there should be no need to use anything harsh on your skin to do this (e.g sulfates). Now, going back to what I was saying about the comedogenic scale – if you’re going to use an oil to remove your make up (which is brilliant), you’re going to need to find one that sits well with your skin. Everyone went crazy about coconut oil for a while, I tried it and found little bumps appearing on my skin after a few days. I checked the scale and it averages quite high which meant I had to opt for a lower ranking oil. I now use a cold pressed, 0 comedogenic rating oil (Hemp oil) to remove my make up.

Toner

Diluted distilled water with ACV – it restores the acid mantel on your face which is important for maintaining a good PH level on your skin. A good PH level means less room for bacteria to thrive and cause spots. Simples 🙂

Moisturiser

If you want to keep your skin plump and dewy, moisturiser is all you need. I use one from The Ordinary as I find it does the job of keeping my skin plump without making it excessively oily – if you have oily skin don’t be scared of oil however. Your skin only produces more oil if it feels deprived, so don’t feel scared!

Treatments

I use a chemical exfoliant once a fortnight to help the normal process of shedding and renewing skin along.

And that’s it! The key to good skin will always be a solid skincare routine in conjunction with a steady and nurtrient dense diet and active lifestyle – good skin also comes within. Since avoiding sugar for the large part, eating my beta-carotenes, getting my 8 hours and drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water a day, as well as using a skin care routine that doesn’t bombard my face with hundreds of new chemicals to contend with each day, I’ve achieved a healthy relationship with my skin. The main point to drive home here is that it’s not all in the products you use – more often than not less is more and I can certainly vouch for that.