Have you ever felt like your skincare just stopped working? Jeanne explores this question based on her own experiences with dry and sensitive skin.
Jeanne has dry, sensitive skin which makes choosing the right skincare products difficult. But when her skin throws a temper tantrum, is it necessarily time for a change in skincare products? Jeanne reveals the five things that have put her skin in a better space. These daily changes also gave her better results from her skincare.
Jeanne explains step-by-step what she does when her skin is going through a sensitivity flare up. These are not the usual tips and pointers. Tune in!
Links and Information:
FIGGI Sensi-Soul Regimen for dry, sensitive skin
Jeanne Retief: Blog | Podcast | Instagram | FIGGI Beauty Shop
[00:00:00.170] - Jeanne
Hello, FIGGI goddess, and welcome to another episode of the My Figgi Life podcast. Today we are going to talk about why your skincare stopped working. I don't know if you've ever had that moment, especially when you have sensitive skin oh, my goodness. Or dry and sensitive skin. I often used to go through these periods where I was like, skincare used to work so beautifully, and now my skin is a mess and so angry. Drew with me. It's so frustrated, it's throwing the biggest tantrum. How and why did my skincare stop working? If this has ever been a question for you, then stay tuned as we dive into this topic.
[00:00:40.590] - Intro
Welcome, goddess, to your sacred space. This is my Figgi Life podcast, where we openly discuss life's wins and losses on our journeys to self-discovery. This is your best life. This is your FIGGI life. And now here is your host, Jeanne.
[00:00:59.970] - Jeanne
I am not good with the How-to advice. That's not what the FIGGI life is about. But these are, like, the five things that I've realized for me, that since I've changed the way, I think about it and since I've changed the way I do this, my skin is definitely in a better space, and I definitely have better results with my skincare. That being said, you do know that the Figgi Beauty Sensi-Soul skincare regimen for dry and sensitive skin is now on the market. So, shop now at figgi.eu. It is a US store and free shopping all across the US. I love my FIGGI skincare products. My skin feels amazing and soothed, but definitely we all go through times when we feel, oh, my gosh, my skincare has stopped working. We all know how it feels when our skin doesn't look its best. Okay. As our literal face to the world, it's understandable that we can feel off balance when our skin throws a temper tantrum. This experience just becomes so much more challenging when this tantrum seems to persist. You've tried everything from home remedies to prescription skin care, but that sudden outburst of cystic acne or itchiness or redness or burning or scratching just won't budge.
[00:02:21.930] - Jeanne
So, of course, if you're like me, we do the logical thing and throw everything we have at it. Or that's what I used to do. So to my utter surprise and ever growing frustration, not only did that not work, but it also seemed to make it a lot worse. I personally have had dry and sensitive skin for most of my adult life, which has become significantly harder to deal with and manage with age and with my panic disorder and how that affects my skin. So despite using gentle products, I still experienced burning sensations, redness, angry, breakouts. Without changing too much in my routine, my skin often kind of forgot to send me the memo that it's going to go on strike. So through trial and error, I've come to realize these like five essential things that have worked for me and that have helped me, and maybe it can help you too. So the first thing I realized is that I was looking at the problem from the wrong angle. This is the one that most often rings true. In the past, when I felt like my skincare stopped working, I just like immediately my response was to change it up and buy something new.
[00:03:36.860] - Jeanne
Maybe my skin just got used to the product and the positive effects of worn off. However, I've learnt that the first thing I need to consider is not my skincare routine, but rather my lifestyle at that moment. We all go through periods of time where we have more pronounced stress, changes in our daily routines, in our schedule, disruptions to our routines, flu season, antiflow. All of these things have a significant impact on my sensitive skin. Add my panic disorder to that and when that goes crazy, my skin goes crazy. I always remind myself that my skin is my largest organ. It's like all other organs, it needs tender love and care from the inside out. And it only stands to reason then, if something changes in my routine, it can definitely affect my skin. Some prime examples of these changes for me are first and foremost, my anxiety disorder, then my diet and exposure to external factors. If you're a regular FIGGI reader and FIGGI goddess, you know that I try my best to lead a life dedicated to managing my anxiety disorder. But when things are off in this space, I notice it first in my skin.
[00:05:03.800] - Jeanne
My skin shows that when I've been more anxious than usual or recently had panic attacks, my skin is tender to the touch and easily, easily provoked by even the gentlest by water. And I'm prone to breakouts, especially on my right cheek. I don't know what hangs out there, but yeah, that's where they like to accumulate. And once I pay more attention to my anxiety routine, I'm recognizing my triggers again. I'm reading the signs of my body. I can move back to a healthier space. And with this move usually comes happier skin. But that is definitely not an overnight thing. A huge factor in my skin's happiness is my travel schedule. When I'm traveling, it's really challenging to maintain a healthy diet. Sometimes I may drink less water, be more easily dehydrated, I have less access to fresh fruits and vegetables. And believe me, my skin loves to show its displeasure almost instantly. I'm also super sensitive to air-conditioned spaces like airplanes, hotel rooms or offices in the summer. Similarly, my skin freaks out in the winter if I spend too much time in the cold wind, cold, biting wind outside or near a heater.
[00:06:24.820] - Jeanne
And considering all these factors and the positive change I see in my skin when I recalibrate, it would not have mattered if I bought the entire Chanel skincare range. My skin would still have been really angry at me. So, trying to fix my skin topically and purely with skin care and buying other skin care because this skincare stopped working and thinking that the magic cure was at the bottom of yet another expensive bottle of serum did not go well for me. So that was my number one. I was looking at it from the wrong angle. It's not my skin, it's my healthy lifestyle or lack in that moment of healthy lifestyle. The second one for me was impatient. If you are open to invasive procedures, you will be probably more satisfied with the turnaround time for drastic results. But I'm super afraid of needles, and although I've scheduled like laser ablation several times, I've always chickened out because I'm not even mentioning surgery here. So, a more natural route was the course of action for me, for sure. However, this route takes time, a lot more time. You do get there, or at least I feel I'm getting there, but it's definitely a marathon, it's not a race.
[00:07:51.580] - Jeanne
And I could have done this better in the beginning because since I was not open to more invasive procedures, I went product topping. I bought a skincare product and if I didn't see results, I just quickly replaced it with another better product like, oh, this one's not working, just let me try something else. Not only did this make my skin angry, but I also didn't see the results I was looking for, because I have since learned that products need at least at least three months to work their magic, or at least to prove to me it has no magic. That means repurchasing a product you may have yet to see results with and trying it for at least 90 days to see if it really is as ineffective as you think it is. And there are a few extra caveats to this rule that I've learned. When I say try the product for 90 days, I mean use it consistently. For example, apply it every night in the same step of your routine for 90 days. If it's a night cream, don't switch it out for another cream one or two nights a week, or use it only when you feel like you need it.
[00:09:02.510] - Jeanne
You have to be consistent with this if results are your goal, or if you want to confirm that this product is not the delivering the benefit you're seeking. Another caveat here is that you should avoid mixing and matching your products in your routine. Keep your routine consistent for 90 days, especially when your skin is feeling unloved and you're introducing something new. Stick with the same morning routine, the same night routine, the same products, and wait until your skin settles better before introducing anything new into your routine. And follow the 90-day rule. The third thing that I noticed is that I was using the wrong skincare. If in doubt, always consult your dermatologist, because understanding your skin type is so important to healthy skin and a good skincare routine. Using products with really harsh Actives, for example, when you have super sensitive skin like me, is a huge no. Although Actives have benefits, you need to make sure you're using products with suitable Actives in the right concentration for your skin that will not upset your sensitive skin. Similarly, suppose you have oily skin that is prone to breakouts. In that case, you do not want to use creams for dry skin, which may further overburden your oversaturated pores.
[00:10:31.050] - Jeanne
I was so guilty of this for most of my twenty s. I was convinced I had combination skin and kept buying products to address this. Unfortunately, many of these products had Actives for the oily T zone that upset my sensitive host. Also, these products left my skin tired and dull because I was not correctly moisturizing my parched, dry skin. And so, staying away from TikTok home remedies is an intelligent decision. Not that I had TikTok in my twenties, it didn't even exist yet. But anyways, for example, many foods, for example, have proven benefits for your skin, but they are not meant to be used as a topical application. In their raw form, the skin is a super complex organ, and there are many different things that you have to consider when formulating a skincare product, including how effectively it will penetrate the skin. And some synthetic or other processes may be necessary to ensure this product is actually safe to use on your skin.
[00:11:39.450] - Intro
You're listening to the My Figgi Life podcast.
[00:11:44.290] - Jeanne
The fourth one, I would say is probably my most recent discovery, and it's made the biggest difference in my skincare routine, and that is not cleansing properly. A few years ago, I stopped washing my face with a cleanser in the mornings because I just couldn't. My face just could not. My skin just couldn't do it. It was too much. This really changed my skin for the better. That extra step in the morning was too much for my skin, and I found a water rinse was the most efficient thing for me. So therefore, to be clear, I'm not saying you aren't cleansing enough. I'm saying your cleansing technique may need to be corrected. Over cleansing will only lead to more sensitivity and dryness and perhaps even damage your skin barrier. So don't do that. If our skin is not properly cleansed, traces of dirt and grime are left behind in our pores. And if you want to know more about that and double cleansing, go to the episode on double cleansing that I recorded for you, which explains what is double cleansing? How does it work? Why do we need to do it? But basically, for now, when we apply a moisturizer to form a layer on our skin to prevent water loss, we create a really unpleasant skin situation if the skin underneath it is not clean.
[00:13:03.480] - Jeanne
So, think about it. Dirty pores covered by foam, lift to brew and breed. I'm not fear mongering, moisturizers or cleansers here. I'm just saying these are essential steps in every routine. However, we need to approach these steps in the right way. What do I mean? Then? With proper cleansing, I do a double cleanse in the evening, the benefits of which I love. If you want to know the benefits of double cleansing, how to double cleanse, what products to use for double cleansing, please go and listen to the Double Cleanse episode. And the Figgi Sansi Soul Regimen also provides you with a double cleanse. Step one your balm cleanser. Step two your gentle chow cleanser. The last one is incorrectly applying sunscreen. For many years, I proudly stated that, oh, I'm such a sunscreen queen. I never left the house without it. I've always used a Day cream with SPF, and I've never indulged in summer beach days without my trusty SPF. Although wearing at least some sunscreen is definitely better than nothing, I learned that there is more I can do to ensure I protect my skin from the sun's harmful rays. Sunscreen makes this list because the visible damage we can see on our skin is so clear.
[00:14:25.560] - Jeanne
Prevention is always my number one goal and a goal I thought I was acing. However, I needed to make a few adjustments. It's so crucial to use an SPF that has at least a 50 SPF rating. Even this rating only gives a 98% protection span. So, make sure to get the most from your sunscreen. And I try to get the most of my sunscreen. I apply three full finger lengths of sunscreen to my face, neck, and other exposed areas. And I now have two different travel sized sunscreens in my handbag. And I set my alarm to help remind me to reapply these during the day. We really do need all this protection, especially sensitive souls with fair skin, we tend to burn so easily, and the effects of that is not a good look for our skin. So that's it. That's why I figured out my in-quotation mark skincare stopped working and we all live in a world of instant gratification. So it only makes sense to expect this from our skin care products. Unfortunately, skincare is not just a routine, it's a lifestyle. It encompasses a lot more than topical applications. Even if we just consider these products, it takes much more than slapping on the latest it ingredient.
[00:15:42.440] - Jeanne
Our skin is so unique. It's as unique as our personalities. And each skin type has a different love language. So, what's your skin's love language? And let me know in the comments. Subscribe to the Episode share I hope this was helpful to you. Remember, we all deserve to celebrate the Goddess within. I wish you only love and light.
[00:16:02.820] - Outro
Jeanne, the FIGGI beauty skincare line is here. The best skincare routine for your dry and sensitive skin. Figgi Sensi Soul Regimen gives you back the power to ensure indulge in skincare luxury without upsetting your skin's delicate balance. Finally, someone created a luxury skincare experience for goddesses with dry and sensitive skin. On sale in the US. Now shop at figgi.eu.