When it comes to skincare Portion Control sounds like a funny subject to discuss however it is one of the most frequent mistakes.
Believe us when we say "less is more!"
There are many reasons why portion control is so important. Firstly you are wasting your products and money. Secondly; one of the most common misconceptions is that you are reacting to a product or ingredient when actually more often than not it is not the product, it is the active ingredients due to over use, this is known as a "Response".
A response is when you have over loaded the skin with too much activity too soon. So for example, if you randomly decided to jump out of bed one morning and go run a marathon with no training... How would that go down? Probably not great. Your skin also needs training. It needs time to adjust and adapt to activity.
There are many other reasons to why you may respond to an ingredient such as, mixing active ingredients together, using face wipes, applying over recently waxed skin or applying on areas that perfume may be worn.
You tend to find that the main culprits for a response are ingredients such as Retinol, Vitamin C, Glycolic, Lactic Acid and other exfoliating products. Now this is not to say to avoid these ingredients as they are essential for skin health however take your time and follow your skincare advice. So when we say twice a week stick to that and when we say 1 pump try not to add in any sneaky extras.
The signs of a response are redness, itching, dryness, sensitivity, perhaps some blemishes and it can sometimes feel quite tender. If you do happen to respond, this is ok it happens to the best of us. You just need to hold off for a few days until the skin has calmed then gently re-introduce the ingredients slowly and increase your hydration levels. Once a response becomes visible please don't panic, call your skincare professional who will guide you through the recovery process.
TOP TIPS-
Introduce products correctly
Use the advised amount
Avoid perfume on the area
Avoid face wipes
Be cautious when having hair removal
And don't panic it will all be ok!