Effectively customise skincare routine without splurging on high-end products

Romita Mazumdar

As you walk down the aisle of your favourite cosmetic stores, reaching out for those high-end products becomes irresistible. They are like beacons with their plethora of promises. But the question is: Are they necessary and can you do without them? The skincare and beauty industry today is flourishing and there is a shift towards producing high quality but budget products. Thus, customizing an effective skincare routine no longer requires splurging. Here is how you can make your own skincare routine with a basic understanding of skin science.

Figuring out your skin health
The first important step is deducing your overall skin health so you can choose the products addressing the right issues. Here are the steps towards understanding that:

#1 Understanding skin type
Skin type segregation helps to categorize a wide variety of skin based on a few general features and choose the products accordingly. Hence, figuring out ones skin type is the first step to determining your overall skin health.

#2 Recognizing skin problems
From small spots to stubborn scars or excessive dryness, many issues are recognized as skin problems. Look out for issues like acne, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, purging and more before indulging in specific products.

#3 Considering your time and lifestyle
Sleep pattern, food habit, profession, and exposure to natural elements all impact the skin. Give thought to the daily routine, lifestyle and free time before making a skincare routine to stay motivated and follow it dedicatedly.

Factors to consider when customizing a skincare routine
Once you have chalked out the skin concerns and your time available to plan a skincare routine, it is time to create one. Here’s how to build the basics of an effective yet simple routine:

#1 Keep the steps minimal
Lesser steps mean the lesser time needed but are not necessarily less effective. A simple routine with basic steps can still do wonders to any skin type.

• Cleanse: Use a good quality but gentle cleanser daily that can effectively remove all dirt. A cleanser that doubles as a makeup remover also works very well and can be a great budget friendly option.
• Treat: Special treatments like Vitamin C infused serums come next. Treatments are for specific skin concerns. Like vitamin C is a universal solution for acne scars, hyperpigmentation, age spots and wrinkles.
• Moisturize: Finish off with a dollop of moisturization using a quality moisturiser. It keeps the skin smooth and nourished that retards skin aging significantly.
• Protect: For the daytime, it is important to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays with the help of sunscreen. Moreover, you should be extra careful with sunscreen when you are using vitamin c and other actives.

#2 Consider the cost-effectiveness
Splurging is easy but to make a skincare routine within budget, you must consider the pros and cons of products from these categories in parallel to your budget:

• Drugstore: They are affordable undoubtedly but not always the safest. The key is to choose products from reputed drugstore skincare brands that are transparent about their ingredients.
• High-end: They are expensive but do not always guarantee effectiveness. It all comes down to whether the ingredients listed agree with your skin type and whether you are okay spending a fortune.
• Your budget: Your budget should be the deciding factor along with the ingredients. If you get products with a quality composition, why splurge on high-end products with similar effects?

#3 Time required to show results
The time needed by a product to show visible effectiveness must be considered as well. Some ingredients show instant results (such as a cleanser) while others take a few weeks (such as vitamin c serum). However, most skincare products need at least four weeks to show visible results, so you must dedicatedly use them and give the time.

#4 Take note of ingredients
The concentration of actives, the ingredient list, preservatives used and overall composition gives a basic idea about a product’s effectiveness and what can be expected. Hence, consider these factors as well while making the skincare routine. It is important to consider all these factors so that the skincare routine is tailor-made without breaking the bank. Skin deserves all the love but so does the hard-earned money.

Romita Mazumdar is founder of Foxtale