How has your relationship with skincare changed over your skincare journey?
Hi Pickies. I was thinking the other day about how the way I choose my skincare products has changed over the years I've been in the skincare game (it's been maybe five years now for me?).
For the first year and a half I didn't know much and I didn't look into much -- I was just in survival mode trying to get rid of my cystic acne and making sure my skin wasn't flaking off.
My second phase came after that, when I started becoming interested in different ingredients and how to reach my "peak skin" (*cue foreshadowing*). This lead to binge watching tons of skincare videos, and a seven step skincare routine. Granted, it was an improvement over my previous routine, as I did get to tweak it more to fit my environment and skin type. However, this is where the benefits end. I started developing this strange association about how good my skin was (acne-free, even skin tone, smooth and soft texture, etc.) with my knowledge and even my competence. I was overbuying and was close to the point where I wasn't going to be able to finish what I had, so I stopped watching skincare videos, I stopped engaging with the Picky app as much (๐), and unfollowed many skincare brands on IG. (I know many others have expressed similar feelings and helpful encouragements against these negative feelings here on the Picky discussions.)
I think I've started a third chapter in my skincare journey where I now have a much more balanced view of my skin, and skincare actually has become a part of my self-care. I've come back to Picky, but I don't watch skincare videos other than those from dermatologists or labmuffin. I'm a lot more patient and I don't obsess over how my skin is doing anymore. If I have acne, I simply make sure to use BHA and an acne patch. If my skin feels dehydrated, I'll tweak my routine to the more hydrating toner and more emoillent moisturizer. But I won't give it any more brain cycles than that. I've also dropped to a four step skincare routine + sunscreen, which is much more manageable for me.
I didn't expect this to be such a share-y post, oops. Also apologies in advance if this is a discussion that's been had before -- as mentioned above, I had to stop engaging with the Picky app as much.