Hi there! So excited to have found this site. The routine analysis feature is excellent. I have a lot of repeat ingredients in my routine and a high risk of irritation. I tend to use actives and exfoliators on an as-needed basis. Some times I get too excited to try too many products at once and my skin either gets a bit red or on rare occasion peels. Then I go back to basics and keep it simple with gentle cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen.
I wear sunscreen everyday, but rotate on the product depending on how I feel. The analysis warned I may not be getting enough sun protection. Is this because I state I use certain products every other day?
In the mornings I usually just splash my face with water to cleanse. If I missed washing my face before, then I tend to use the earth science cleanser.
I would say I have borderline sensitive to normal skin. I'm not really sure how to rank my sensitivity to be honest. I had rosacea on my cheeks when I was a kid, but seemed to grow out of it. I greatly suffered from acne as a teenager and in my early to mid-twenties. I still breakout monthly around my chin with 1-3 zits (yay hormones!) and occasionally on my cheeks and rarely on my forehead. I also tend to have a few closed comedones on my cheeks. Now I mostly suffer from acne scars and some hyper-pigmentation from the more recent breakouts. My skin used to be quite oily during the days I was terrorized by acne, but now it seems more normal to maybe a bit dry. I am also quite fair skinned, and notice occasional redness, particularly on my forehead. Not sure if this is just my skin colouring or due to sun damage or some sort of inflammation.
My goals are to have clear, even, plump dewy skin, as well as to incorporate anti-aging where appropriate. I feel like I may be trying to target too much at once with too many products. Not sure how to balance all this. Should I remove something? Or keep doing what I'm doing?
I am 32 years old and located in Canada. Cruelty-free products are an important value to me.
Welcome to WIMJ Kara! Super happy you find our tools helpful!
Yes, it's possible that the tool hasn't picked up that you are using a sunscreen daily. I'd also check all the sunscreens that you are using to make sure they all provide reliable broad-spectrum sun protection (on a product page for your sunscreens, check the "sun protection" sign - it should be bright green).
I'd say your skin is sensitive because you are getting occasional reactions. Sensitive skin isn't really a type, it's more of a "state" - and too many products & actives can be the reason. So I'd say that finding a routine where you don't get any reactions would be a good priority. Every time the redness, peeling and other signs of an irritation happen, it means that there is inflammation going on in the skin, and it makes it more acne-prone and contributes to early aging for weeks after the reaction. It basically undoes all the good stuff we do with the actives.