The (no) skincare experiment aka How I survived without cosmetics for 36 hours
A couple of months ago I decided to do an experiment.
The reasoning behind this was to find out how much skincare really does for my skin and will it adapt itself to not getting pampered every day.
There seems to be a large amount of people thinking that less is more, that one only needs one or two products to have healthy skin, that too many products aren't good for us or that no products are better since that is how we have been created.
While I do believe that few products might work for some people I disagree with most of the other statements.
My skin is quite complicated and simply doesn't do well with a very basic routine.
I know a lot of people have gotten worse skin after starting to use cosmetics, but keep in mind, those people probably used the wrong products that didn't work well with their skin.
There is a gazillion types of skincare in the world and even if you tried a ton and feel like none of them improve your complexion there will always be some borderline miracle product that might just change your skins life!
Believe me, I was there and I am happy to announce that there are such things as amazing products!
I decided to do this experiment with dear Johnny Clyde, his skin was supposed to provide a balance to compare my dry to normal and break out prone skin.
His skin is usually easy to handle, where as mine is, a pain in the buns.
The rules were these, absolutely no cosmetics whatsoever for the both of us for 36 hours.
Water was allowed to cleanse our faces, however much pure water can cleanse of course.
Day 1
The first night I stopped using all forms of skincare, the area around my jaw and ears started to itch, Johnny Clyde reported no discomfort at all.
The next morning, I noticed some bits of dry skin on my cheeks and nose, after washing my face with water it became tight and uncomfortable.
By mid day my eyebrows started to itch and it was uncomfortable to make facial expressions.
Johnny Clyde had none of my issues, which makes sense since my skin is very dry and his isn’t.
Day 2
By the second day my face was still dry and the bits of dead skin had multiplied, it felt tighter than the day before and some red spots appeared around my hairline and cheeks.
My skin wasn't sandpaper rough but significantly less smooth than before.
During the day two red spots appeared on my left cheek and it became painful to do facial expressions.
Johnnys skin became a little rougher and less clear, dead skin started showing around his forehead and nose, sebaceous filaments became more visible.
Spots started forming, a few smaller ones all over his face but an especially big cystic looking bugger on one of his cheeks joined the party.
Still he reported no discomfort.
36 hours turned into 40 and I finally decided to stop the experiment since the pain got quite strong and moving my face was out of question.
The red spots worried me as well.
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| By the end of it this seemed a good option! |
The bits of dead skin diminished after a long oil massage. The itching stopped as soon as I finished the rest of the routine.
I decided to do a deep cleansing and the amount of dirt that came out was appalling even though we didn't leave the house for the duration of the experiment.
Afterwards, I applied a sheet mask and layered several hydrating products followed by a rich cream and sleeping pack.
The day after pictures were taken after the night and morning routine.
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| The dead skin is gone and my complexion seems moist and glowy, the redness has diminished |
Johnnys skin recovered after a few days, but it took quite a bit to get rid of the dehydration and get his pores nice and clean again.
As soon as we started his routine the spots slowly disappeared and he didn’t get any new ones for a while.
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| By the time I was done I wanted to soak in pure hydration for days! |
Just using a cleanser and a cream doesn’t work either, it simply doesn’t give me enough hydration and moisture.
As I get older, I notice that my skin is more demanding than before and that weather and other factors influence the state of it as well.
I would like to note that I have been taking omega 3 and 6 supplements for a while now and unfortunately they make no difference in the dryness of my skin.
I have been taking a high dose daily for 3 months and for the past 2 weeks I have doubled the amount. My skin does look better when I am eating a very very healthy diet (not the case right now) but the dryness always stays the same.
So if people tell you to drink more water, eat healthier or take supplements to get rid of dry skin, that will probably not happen.
Dry skin is not a condition but the way your skin is.
Water doesn’t reach the dermis when you drink it and eating healthy is fantastic but can only do so much.
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| If I drink 1 Liter or 4, my skin will be just as dry! |
You are not vain or superficial just because you apply ten skincare products on your face a day.
If you feel like that is what you need for your skin to feel comfortable than go ahead and enjoy it.
There have been some fads recently that make it seem like less is more but we are all very different and one method can not suit all of us equally.
I am not saying that everyone should have an extensive routine, but just that you need to decide for yourself how much works best for you. If you have no routine and it worked well for you so far it might not always stay that way, or maybe you are a lucky freak of nature that has skin that is naturally happy with just air and love.
Most of us aren’t like that though, and we will get sun damage or even cancer, age horribly or break out like crazy from not cleaning our skin properly. I mean we wash our bodies, teeth and hair regularly too, but why not our faces?
In the end, what we do with our bodies should always be our own choice and it shouldn’t matter what other say. Do what makes you feel good without harming others and if that means you want to bathe in moisturizer then so be it.
Right about now that actually sounds very appealing, my skin is tight and my face is itchy.
I think that is my queue to go slather myself in some moist goodness and feel soothed and refreshed!
