Korean Skin Care Routine Review by People With Oily and Acne Prone Skin

You know how you tin be in the middle of working on something, so y'all discover yourself helping out with a question that you reply and then regularly that you wish y'all had something you could just ship them instead of hurriedly and badly explaining things?

That'south the

hijack reason

inspiration for today'southward postal service.  Before nosotros get started, I would simply like to remind everyone that I am not a medical professional and the thoughts in this post are purely based off my own personal experience and approach to skincare.

So here nosotros go: if you lot have Dehydrated, Philharmonic-Oily pare like me, this post's for you, pare twin.

In this mail service:

• The first step: detect your skin type
• Dehydrated: the hidden peel type
• Clearing the way: ditch 'The Shell'
• Build your routine: splurge on water, skimp on oil
• Find your Blogger pare twin: a list of routines past skin type

The basics of whatsoever routine are, in my opinion: cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.  But when you take Dehydrated or Combination skin (or both), your skin isn't probable to fall in beloved with a unmarried moisturizer, leaving you with an actress footstep needed (or several) when it comes to building a base routine.

I've more than or less made peace with my Dehydrated & Combination skin and its quirky preferences, and I wanted to share it with my pare twins out there.

The beginning step: notice your skin type

This can be tricky.  You can Google how to find your skin type, which will be a proficient start if you are starting from scratch on your skincare journey, or even have it professionally assessed if yous can afford it.

Nonetheless, I have noticed that virtually people who discover themselves falling in love with a Korean (or Asian) skincare routine are already interested in skincare and looking to take it to the adjacent level.  Therefore, they're already familiar with their skin blazon and how information technology reacts to products.

Traditional western definitions usually include the following skin types:

• Dry: lacking in oil/sebum, usually genetic or as a consequence of environmental factors including medications
• Oily: excessive production of sebum, often resulting in large pores, sebaceous filaments, blackheads, and acne
• Combination: a combination of the to a higher place types on different areas of the skin, often an Oily T-zone and Dry U-zone
• Normal: balanced, neither Dry nor Oily.

If y'all're wondering what I hateful past "U-zone", here'due south the T-zone in green and the U-zone in blue , which is a common distribution of Combination skin type oily and dry out zones, respectively:

Who knew my snow stickers could come in handy for things other than expressing my feelings well-nigh sheet masks?

This isn't always the case, as y'all tin have oily and dry areas in any area, but many people with Combination skin have this blueprint.

You will also observe boosted concerns such every bitSensitive andAcne-Decumbent listed in western skin type guides, but these also can be modifiers to the above base of operations types so I believe that's why the above iv are considered the base of operations types in western definitions.

But what if your skin is perpetually dry and oily at the same fourth dimension, with dry flakes nestled next to, or on top of, clogged pores and blemishes?  What if the more creams you utilize, the more oily and clogged your pare becomes, but you're still a flake monster?  What if yous're trying to command your sebum with oil-free products, merely your skin feels flaky and tight?

Dehydrated: the hidden peel type

Congratulations and sympathies, because you're probably a Dehydrated skin type similar me.  Don't cry, though, considering tears are pH 7[source] and they might disrupt your acid mantle.  Huehuehue. #nerdjokes *smacks cocky so you don't have to*

Luckily for united states of america, Korean skincare is already fix to handle our skin type, and in fact they've been ahead of the game for ... centuries?

Korean skincare is very much influenced past traditional Asian medicine (Hanbang, aka traditional Korean herbal medicine, is in at least 50% of the products in my routine) and therefore the cadre theme of balance is carried into the Korean skincare philosophy as well.

Just as Asian herbal medicine focuses on the balance between yin and yang, cold and hot, etc, Korean skincare strives to accept a balance of water and oil in the skin.

Lemme say that again: water, non but oil, may need to be added to the peel, and both demand to be in rest for good for you, well-adjusted skin.

This is where the light of illumination broke through the clouds of ignorance for me. *cue refrain from heavenly chorus of enlightenment*Water, not more oil, might be what my parched skin needed.

Let at that place be ... water added to your pare.
In the name of the Snail, amen.
paradigm credit: rgbstock.com

In the w, we larn that dry skin needs oil, and oily pare needs oil-complimentary products, the cease.  Combination pare is a insubordinate, being a bit of both, but you lot tin can avoid putting products on your t-zone and so only blot up the steady stream of sebum seeping from your forehead.

If your skin is dry, put more moisturizer on it, more than and more than and more ... and if you suspension out?  Must be acne-prone.  Use a stronger cleanser, launder more often, or see a dermatologist for a prescription or a doctor for hormonal regulation.***

***Notation: I am in no way saying that people should not run into dermatologists or doctors for those concerns, in fact it'due south my about commonly given skincare advice when asked.  I even wrote a collaboration blog mail nearly it.  My point here is that conventional not-medical skincare wisdom in the west had a big, glaring gap when it came to my skin blazon.

No one talked near having dehydrated peel, which has a lacking-water problem, not an lacking-oil problem.  If we take a step dorsum and employ it to our bodies; it becomes common sense: if you are thirsty, should you lot beverage h2o, or should you lot beverage table cream?

Additionally, no matter how much water you intake, your pare is the last in line to get it, so depending on diverse factors including environment, your pare may exist perpetually dehydrated even if you're chugging water similar Jack Sparrow drinks rum.

In fact, the more than heavy, oily, rich, and occlusive products yous utilize on your flake-festooned face, the more and more dehydrated your peel becomes, because those occlusive products are actually forming a barrier to keep water out, perpetuating the cycle.

Just if your skin isn't getting h2o from within either, what practice you do?  Well, we can add information technology back topically, just first we've got to articulate some grime out of the way.

Immigration the way: ditch 'The Shell'

Peel twin, yous may accept suspected this, but if you've been struggling with both Dehydrated and Oily or Combo-Oily skin, there'south very likely to be a disgusting shell of expressionless skin and + oily sebum that is coating your confront.  You lot've probably noticed that your pare is prone to dead skin build up, including dry flakes, aslope greasy and clog-prone pare.  Thus, I have dubbed this slurry of goo 'The Shell' and we're going to talk about how to get rid of it.

Your skincare isn't penetrating down to where information technology needs to, considering The Crush, similar a layer of plaque over your teeth, is obstructing it.  We demand to get rid of The Beat, and physical scrubs, as you take probably noticed, aren't cutting it.

Enterchemical exfoliants ...expect, don't run away! They're not equally scary every bit you'd think.

I'll be honest; I was terrified and intimidated by chemical exfoliants at outset.  They're scary!  They're acids that are acid-ing your face! There are horror stories all over the internet!!   FYI, there are chemical exfoliants, and so in that location are chemical peels.  We're talking wine coolers vs 99% rubbing alcohol here.

Think of our skin as a pot that is caked with the greasy rest from cooking dinner.  Are you lot going to grind abroad with an annoying pot scrubber and elbow grease, scratching your pot to hell, or are y'all going to soak the pot in some water + dish soap to soften the crud then you can wipe it away without damaging the surface?Chemical exfoliants are the latter, and they can be super gentle.  I promise.

I use both beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) and alpha-hydroxy acrid (AHA) on a regular basis, and it's changed everything.   Everything!

My chemical exfoliant bros: Mizon at left, Cosrx at right.

BHA is oil-soluble, so it can cutting through the grease on our face, downward into our pores, and soften the hardened goo stuck in in that location.  This allows the sebum to period unobstructed out of the pore, and also gives your cleanser a improve chance to clean excess sebum abroad.

AHA is not oil-soluble, only it's fantabulous at dissolving excess dead skin on the surface of your pare, uncapping your pores and so the BHA can go to town, whisking away dry flakes, lightning hyperpigmentation.

Currently, I apply Cosrx'due south BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, which uses an ultra-gentle form of BHA called Betaine Salicylate, and Mizon's AHA 8% Peeling Serum, which is Glycolic acid.   However, there are lots of BHA and AHA options out in that location, and you don't have to use Korean products.  If y'all want to learn more about how to incorporate acids into your routine, cheque out my mail service onPutting your products in order, including pH dependent acids.

Be warned: acids are 'actives' and will release the kraken hidden under the surface of your skin, so read upward on purging and how to identify it vs reaction breakouts.

Then in one case you lot've freed your peel from the tyranny of The Shell, it volition be ready to soak in all the goodness your products are ready to supply.

Build your routine: splurge on h2o, skimp on oil

At present that the layers of old buildup are out of the fashion, you are gratis to focus on re-balancing the missing water from your pare.  This is the existent drawback of The Vanquish; the precious water that your skin lacks was unable to penetrate through the greasy sludge that coated your face.

Only it'due south gone now, so it'southward time to go hard on the hydrators.  This is where a multi-pace Korean routine obliterates the 'less is more than' western approach, in my opinion.

Mmm, hydrating products.  Korean products volition requite you a bevvy of options that are skilful for a Dehydrated peel type, including:

• mists
• hydrating toners
• first essences
• skins (I know, weird, but it'due south a type of watery production)
• essences
• sheet masks
• serums
• ampoules
• emulsions
• milks
• lotions

The above list is in a general order of wateriest-to-oiliest, thinnest-to-thickest, but Korean naming conventions are really, um, 'fluid' and it's non a hard dominion.  Dehydrated skin perk: y'all can easily load up on hydrating products without overloading your pare, considering information technology's a thirsty beast.  And so when you're looking at various blogs, Instagram feeds, and sale PSAs, seeing shiny things you want to purchase, this is what happens:

    Optics: That's a pretty matter, we should buy information technology.
     Wallet: No, we don-
    Pare: That's a slap-up idea! I'm thirsty, delight mist me.
     Wallet: Await, guys, we shou-
    Pragmatism: We are getting pretty low on that 2nd and 3rd essence in our routine ...
     Wallet: We yet have two mists and a serum left ov-
    Skin: Truthful, we are getting depression!  I'm thirsty once again, please mist me.
     Wallet: Guys? Can anyone hear m-
    Sense of Risk: We haven't tried that brand before, let's do this!
Wallet: Wait, what?! Noo-
Skin: We but ran out of mist, and I'thousand thirsty.  More mist please!
     Wallet: *muffled screaming*

Your (literally) thirsty pare has the capability to slurp up huge quantities of hydrating products, tearing through products at a rapid charge per unit and ensuring that your wallet is perpetually on fire simply the upside is that you tin justify a constant stream of new pretties to try?

Like a gentle spring rain, a Korean routine will apply layer later on layer of watery hydration, assuasive your thirsty skin to soak up what it needs.

As I mention inPutting your products in order, including pH dependent acids, y'all layer from wateriest-to-oiliest, thinnest-to-thickest.  If you take a Combination peel type, avoid layering the oilier products in your oily areas and keep them to your dry areas, but the watery products tin be layered all over.

When your skin feels hydrated enough, finish. Information technology's that simple.  If that ways that you lot end up with a routine that has a mist, a hydrating toner, a first essence, two regular essences, a serum, an ampoule, and so sealed in with an emulsion, but no moisturizer, so be it.

Wait, no traditional moisturizers?!

If you don't experience you demand it, so nope. Occlusives are meant to seal in the water you've only applied, simply you tin can either apply very light ones or ones that rely on silicones instead of lipids, if you feel that you need them.  If you feel y'all demand more occlusives, rich creams, or facial oils, by all means add them, but as a Dehydrated skin blazon, you need to focus on re-hydrating your skin before y'all can assess how much oil needs to be added.

Once you have re-counterbalanced your Dehydrated skin, information technology will release y'all from the tailspin it's probably been in for years, and you'll exist able to fine-tune your approach.  Yous may discover that your Combo-Oily skin is actually Combo-Normal, or even Normal-Dry!

Find your Blogger skin twin: a listing of routines past skin type

Don't have Dehydrated Combo-Oily skin like me?  Here'due south a listing of some Asian skincare bloggers and their skin types:

• Oily, hormonal acne:Fanserviced-b
• Oily, acne-prone: adoredee
• Normal-Oily: The Wanderlust Project
• Normal:Holy Snails
• Normal, aging:50 Shades of Snail
• Normal-Dry out: Skin & Tonics AM, PM, & Occasional Treatments
• Normal-Dry: The Beauty Wolf
• Dehydrated-Dry:Colorcrush
• Dry, troubled: Vanity Rex

Simply keep in listen that skincare is extremely personal and what works for others may not work for you, but agreement your pare blazon's full general needs can actually aid when  selecting products to try.

All the best,
-Cat

**Disclaimer: : All products reviewed/mentioned in this postal service are 100% purchased with my own money and my opinions are entirely my ain.  This weblog contains  both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and clicking the one-time earlier y'all shop means that this blog may receive a small commission to aid in this blog supporting itself.  Please see my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy for more information.

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Source: http://www.snowwhiteandtheasianpear.com/2015/07/beginners-korean-skincare-routine.html