Simple Skin Care Routine when you don’t know how to skincare
Last Updated on January 18, 2023 by Aysenur Yashar
I have a skincare blog but I still do not know how skincare works. I have a simple skin care routine because I still do not know how skincare works.
This blog is not about a cheatsheet or an expert opinion instead treat it as a friends advice if you are also on the quest for a simple skin care routine. In fact most of the things that did change my skin for the better were recommended by my friends. So let’s keep the trend going!
Here you can read about 3 really important things and 3 important skincare ingredients, I have learnt to work for me.
Simple Skin Care Routine with simple ingredients
1. To make a simple skin care routine add Hyaluronic Acid now!
I have a skin that is screaming “I need more hydration and moisture”. This is a fact. It is also a fact that I have ignored Hyaluronic Acid (HA) for a very long time. It was only after my best friend recommended I get HA and not rely on the HA concentrations in my moisturisers.
What is Hyaluronic Acid and why this complicated component is a part of a simple skin care routine?
HA is a components that is naturally found in our bodies – in the eyes, joints and skin. It can act as a sponge and when Immersed in water, it can bind up to 1000 times its weight.
It is a long polymer – meaning it is made out of a chain-like repeating molecules. Because it is very long and a very big compound, water can get attached easily. There are broadly 2 different molecular weight versions. If it is the long chain it is high molecular weight HA and if it is with slightly less repeating units then it is low molecular weight.
It is mainly the High Molecular Weight HA (HMW-HA) which is found on our skin and bing to huge amounts of water. This is the best water-binding molecule known to the scientific world today. HMW-HA however is such a big molecule that it cannot penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, so it provides a surface level hydration and forms a protective hydration barrier.
Let’s summarise the benefits of HA here
Summary of Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid
- Hydration, obviously!
- Reduced water-loss related wrinkled
- Maintain skin’s elasticity
- Reduce the inflammatory response of the skin
- Regenerating damaged skin cells
- Reducing acne scars
How and why to add HA into your routine?
DISCLAIMER: This is not an experts opinion, this is just what has helped me 🙂
So it is doubtless that HA has many many benefits, but why is it exactly necessary? Our skin needs basic hydration and as someone with dry skin, most of the moisturisers I have used have not given me the sufficient hydration. So when my friend recommended it, i just grabbed the The Skin Republic’s 1% Hyalouronic Acid + 2% Niacinamide serum. Honestly, I have been loving it ever since.
It has really a very gewy, cream like consistency and it is really easy to apply.
After I have used it, you really feel like your skin is taking a big sip of water. But fo course my skin was not satisfied, the hydration was not enough. My skin became smooth but it was a little tense, as if it needed something else with it. Soon I realised, It needed a little bit of an oily texture to lock that hydration and make my skin glowing and smoother.
Recently I went through the experience and experiment of using only face oils and no hydrator or moisturizer, so I quickly realized that what I needed was in my drawers as well! You can read the quirky experiment here, haha.
Which leads us to the following part of the simple skincare routine – my favourites plant based face oils!
2. Nourish your skin with Avocado Oil
Next time we make an avocado toast maybe it will be smart to smear some on our faces because it is that good for our skin! Avocado Oil is definitely something I cannot go without, not because I love the texture and smells so nice but because my dry skin literally needs all the nutrients! Let’s get to the science behind it.
Why is Avocado Oil so important for dry skin?
Avocado oil is really really rich in fatty acids, especially oleic acid. Oleic Acid is the component that makes avocado oil so hydrating for dry skin. Oleic Acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid, they have fewer double bonds in its chemical structure which makes them less bent or kinky. This, on the other hand, makes oleic acid thicker than linoleic acids.
- Oleic acid – 80%
- Palmitic -10%
- Linoleic – 8%
This thickness makes Oleic acid-rich plant oils very nourishing and moisturizing for especially dry, chapped, and mature skin. However, Oleic acid is considered comedogenic, meaning because of its thickness it might clog your pores, so it might be the safest option to avoid if you have acne-prone skin and search for linoleic acid-rich plant oils like Rosehip Oil.
Another great advantage of Avocado Oil is that it has the great property of penetrating several layers of your skin directly. This enables richer nourishment to enter your skin.
Praising avocado oil can never end! It is a great emollient and has high levels of vitamin E – giving it great antioxidant benefits.
So we need a quick recap of the benefits!
Summary on the benefits of Avocado Oil
- Ultra nourishing and moisturising ingredient especially for dry skin
- Great emollient
- Antioxidative Properties
Where to buy Avocado Oil?
I am a big fan of everything clean and organic and if you have been reading the other blogs, I usually supply my share of organic skincare from Alteya Organics.
So, you can already guess, my first 100% Avocado Oil was from Alteya Organics. The texture is actually very thick and the colour is deep green. Just Natural!
I also have to say, this bottle seems to never end. I have been using it since February almost every day and I still have half of the bottle to go! Hahah, I highly recommend it!
I have not tried Avocado Oil from any other brands but Neal’s Yard Remedies seems like is the next option I really want to try!
3. Make a change to your skin with Rosehip Oil
Rosehip Oil, Rose Hip Oil, Rose Hip Seed Oil. This definitely was a learning curve for me and I was using an ingredient that I did not know. Hahah, let me explain.
There are two types of Rosehip Seed Oils in the market:
- Rosa Rubigunosa Seed Oil
- Rosa Canina Seed Oil
Here, I will be focusing on the Rosa Canina Seed Oil because this is the product I have used and it is more widely used in all sorts of cosmetics. Stay tuned for a blog post about the two types of rosehip oils!
Why is Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil so important?
The extraction method of Rosa Canina Oil is from the seeds of “Dog Rose”, a type of wild rose that basically can grow anywhere. It is found most commonly in Europe, Asia and North West Africa.
This seed oil is high in essential fatty acid contents around 71% of its volume is composed of fatty acids.
- linoleic acid – 51%
- linolenic acid – 19%
- oleic acid – 20%
This amount of high fatty acids makes it a great emollient, it can nourish, soften and moisturize the skin very well. It is suitable for any skin type, a great clean skincare brand Pai Skincare recommends rosehip oil even for super sensitive skin conditions like rosacea, urticaria, and eczema.
Alongside being a great nourisher, it is high in Omega 3, 6, and 9 which makes it a great helper in the regeneration of cells from the basal layers of the epidermis. Rosa Canina Seed Oil is also high in vitamin E and pro-vitamin A which gives it good antioxidant properties.
These properties really make Rosehip Oil a suitable plant oil for any skin type. It nourishes, absorbs fasts and adds brightness to any skin type!
Summary on the benefits of Rosa Canina Seed Oil
- Great emollient and moisturiser for any skin type
- Antioxidative properties
- Helps with Skin cell regeneration
Where to buy Rosehip Seed Oil and what to keep in mind?
Luckily there are many Rosehip Oil producing brands out there and some of them are even clean and organic.
One thing to keep in mind when buying Rosehip Oil whether be it from Rosa Canina Seeds or Rosa Rubigunosa, make sure it is cold-pressed! This mode of extraction preserves the active ingredients inside so you get all the juicy benefits from it.
Back to the brands, if you do not know a clean, local and organic skin care brand I would definitely recommend The Ordinary’s 100% Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil. It adds perfectly to my routine!
Alteya Organics, again, not surprised. This small bottle is packed with cold pressed 100% Rosehip Oil, all organic and natural, coming from one of the native countries of Rosehip – Bulgaria.
Need I even say Pai Skincare. Their superstar, hero product is this beautiful red rosehip oil extracting not only the oil from the seeds but also from the fruit.
Really this product is such an icon for the brand, you cannot not try it!
How to mix all of these Goodies for a simple skin care routine?
Now that you are equipped with the science of all those products, it is time to apply them. Do you know how much face oil should you put – I would advise not to mix more than 2 different types of face oils and to add up to 6 drops in total. If you are curious about more details – read along here.
Just put up to 6 drops of the plant oils on your palm and one full pump of your Hyaluronic Acid, and you will see how thick it is! Then mix them all, and it really becomes like your DIY cream, ahah you can call it like that too!
Then woosh onto your beautiful skin. I do this morning and night after cleansing!
If you have been reading so far, thank you! I hope you can try this small and simple skin care routine, If you do please let me know.
If you have any comments, suggestions or have tried any of these small products let me know in the comments!
Share with someone you love xx
And if you are still wondering what to add to your skincare check out those 5 clean skincare brands you can trust here and why not give probiotics in cosmetics a chance, learn more here!
