Skin serums can seem like magic potions in the way they help your skin. They can make dark spots disappear, bring a glow to skin, and create a youthful plumping like nothing else does. However, these effects can sometimes be hard to achieve for some people. The reason, often, is that they make mistakes in the way they use their skin serums. Whether you already use skin serums on a regular basis or plan to do so in the future, it can help take a look at the kinds of mistakes that people often make, and make up your mind to not let them happen to you.
Not clearing the way for your serums
Serums are designed to penetrate deep into the skin to perform the work they are capable of. If they are confronted with a layer of dead skin cells to get through on their way to the living tissue, however, they are likely to not go as deep as they might. If you use serums, exfoliating twice a week to clear out the dead skin cells could help make sure that your serums truly go to work for you.
It could actually help to do more than just exfoliate. Clearing the path for your serums involves two steps in the following order: using a cleanser, and then applying skin toner. Then, when you use your serums, you want to wait about 10 minutes before you do anything else to your skin, to make sure that they have time to get in and get to work.
Rubbing the serum in
When you need to put a serum on your face, it can feel like the natural way to do it to simply put a couple of drops on your palms, and rub the substance over your face, not unlike the way men put on aftershave. Aftershave, however, is cheap, and serums are expensive. You waste a lot of serum on the skin of the palms of your hands this way, where it doesn’t do much good. Instead, you want to put a drop on a fingertip, and pat it into your skin.
You don’t want to rub serum into your skin, or perform any action that tugs on the skin: doing this wastes the serum by sending more into your hands or fingers than your facial skin.
Making the wrong combinations
If you use more than one kind of serum on your face, you could inadvertently put ingredients together that have the effect of irritating the skin, or canceling each other out. Retinol and vitamin C serums, for example, don’t do well when used on the skin at the same time. If you need to use different serums for different purposes, you want to either space them out hours apart, or you want to buy a single serum that the manufacturer has already blended the right way to minimize interference.
You can make the wrong combinations even if you don’t use multiple serums. Other ingredients can be potential problems, as well. Putting a vitamin C serum together with anything that has benzoyl peroxide, for example, could lead to flaking. It can take time and effort, but you need to make sure that anything you put on your skin after a serum doesn’t contain incompatible ingredients.
Using too much
You may want to give your skin generous quantities of serum to make sure that you get the effect that you need, but it’s important to remember that serums are concentrated formulas. Using too much, results in waste. About four drops of serum for your face and neck are the right amount. You’re looking to get a light film of serum on your skin; you don’t want to coat it in a thick layer.
You don’t pay attention to obvious adverse effects
You need to give serum time to work, usually a couple of months. Giving up too early is a mistake many people make. However, you do need to give up if your skin is obviously unhappy with a serum you use. If a skin serum doesn’t agree with you for any reason, you usually get breakouts, inflammation, dryness, and unevenness. It’s important to be alert to these signs.
You apply serum over dry skin
Moist surfaces tend to absorb moisture better than dry surfaces. It’s a rule that applies to the skin just as it does to other things. Your facial skin is likely to absorb the serum you put on it far more efficiently when it isn’t dry. Following a moisturizing routine each day (though not at the same time that you apply serum), and making sure that you wash your face and pat the excess moisture off before you apply serum, can help make sure that your skin is prepped to absorb as much of it as possible.
When you avoid easy mistakes with skin serums and make sure that you’re regular with your serum use, you’re likely to spend less on your investment, and see better effects.
Recommended Products
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum
CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Night Pressed Serum
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream
Aveeno Calm + Restore Redness Relief Cream
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream
e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance-Free
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