A New Routine: Swapping Your Middle School Skin Care Rules for More Mature Ones

As a middle schooler, life was tough. We had to deal with awkward friendship drama, strange bodily changes, and worst of all, we had to watch our perfect childhood skin turn into a war zone filled with pimples, blemishes and zits. I personally recall heading straight to the store with my best friend and her mom one day after school to get an entire line of skin care products to combat her acne. Nine years later, she still sticks to those same products even though her skin has changed drastically (the pesky pimples packed up and left during high school, luckily). Many of us are still using the same products we used when skin care first started becoming an issue, and we could definitely use a bathroom cabinet makeover. Read on for everything you need to know about updating your skin care routine from one fit for a middle schooler to the perfect routine for a collegiette™.
 
Determining Your Skin Type
All of us have different skin types, whether it’s normal, oily, dry, sensitive or a combination, so there’s no way that we can pick products that will work for everyone. Some of us are even still dealing with breakouts, so the harsher products that we may have used when we were younger are still necessary. “It’s really important to keep reevaluating your skin over time and change your skin care products,” says Alexis Wolfer, a beauty and wellness expert who is also the founder of The Beauty Bean. “Between when you enter college and when you leave college, your skin care needs change,” she says. Wolfer recommends heading to a dermatologist, trying out a makeup counter or getting a facial for a professional opinion on what type of skin you have. “A lot of the time, we have a really tough time self-diagnosing, so we end up treating for what we think the average person of our needs is,” she says, so make sure you find out for sure what your skin type is. Once you know exactly what you’re dealing with, you can start revamping your skin care routine.
 
Switch Out Harsh Acne Wash for Something Milder… If You Need It
Depending on what your skin type is, you may not need to use a harsh acne wash on your face everyday. For people who have dry or sensitive skin, find a cleanser that is a bit easier on your skin, because an acne wash could dry out your face and be contributing to the lack of moisture in your skin. Neutrogena offers a very mild facial bar for dry skin, and a great gentle cleanser for sensitive skin. Both can be found at your local drug store for less than $10, so it’s a perfect (and cheap!) way to update your face wash.
 
If your skin is a bit oily still, Neutrogena also offers a deep clean facial cleanser to help keep the oil under control. Wolfer recommends not being scared away by oil in your cleanser and to remember that sometimes some oil can be a good thing. “There are a lot of oils that can actually prevent breakouts,” she says. “It’s really important for people to not always be swept away by ‘oil free’. When skin is dry and we over dry it, it produces more oil, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
 
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Make Sure You’re Using SPF
One of the most important things we can do for our skin is to protect it from the sun, so buying a moisturizer with SPF in it is key. Sun damage will definitely cause wrinkles, so always protect your face from the harmful UV rays. Wolfer recommends using Garnier moisturizer, because it contains SPF but is still light. If using a moisturizer with SPF isn’t your thing, there are plenty of women who buy foundation, blush or powders that have SPF in them, so those work great as well. Wolfer recommends Neutrogena foundations that contain SPF.
 
Some of us can be turned off by a moisturizer with SPF because it can be heavy and we fear the breakouts with the extra oil. Just like with the facial cleanser, some oil can definitely be helpful in a moisturizer, so don’t necessarily write off any SPF moisturizer with oil in it. “Oil isn’t necessarily the enemy,” reiterates Wolfer.
 
Exfoliate Once a Week
One of the best things we can do for the health and look of our skin is exfoliate, says Wolfer. Exfoliating once a week gets rid of dead skin cells and is important for preventing breakouts and winkles as well. It can brighten a washed out complexion and give you a fresh palette to work with when applying makeup. While there are tons of exfoliation products on the market, Wolfer says that using oatmeal is a great cheap option to try. “Take some oatmeal, grind it into a blender and mix it in with your facial wash. It’s great for sensitive skin,” she says.
 
Use Toner…If You Need It
As a middle schooler, I had never heard of toner, but once I got to high school, all my friends told me it was essential to skin care. That’s not necessarily true, says Wolfer, because it’s not the most important step and it’s not necessary for everyone. Toner is designed to further cleanse the skin after washing your face, so Wolfer only recommends using it if you typically wear a lot of makeup or if you have skin that has a very tough time exfoliating. “Some people have skin that gets dull and grimy, so a toner can be a great thing to use,” she says. “Also, if you sweat a lot, toner can be beneficial.” If you choose to buy a toner, make sure to find one that is alcohol-free.
 
Skip the Wrinkle Cream and Stay Hydrated Instead
Wolfer says that while expensive wrinkle cream can be a luxury, it’s definitely not something that we need to be worrying about at our age. “The vast majority of women under the age of 25 are not and do not need to be worrying about wrinkle creams,” she says. “SPF and protection from sun damage and staying hydrated are the ways to prevent wrinkles.” Women of all ages need to make sure they always have enough fluids in their bodies and skin. Make sure you’re always drinking enough water and eating fruits and vegetables that have a high water content to hydrate your skin, and don’t forget about moisturizing. “The first signs of aging come from not staying hydrated,” Wolfer says.
 
Another important aspect to skin hydration is under eye hydration. Instead of using an expensive cream, swipe a little bit of Aquaphor underneath your eyes before bed each night. “The most important thing is to stay hydrated and not worry so much about the impending doom of wrinkles,” Wolfer says.
 
And there you have it. By changing the rules of your skin care routine, you can not only grow out of the lingering middle schooler in you, but also make your skin look much more radiant. And isn’t that what every collegiette™ wants?
 
How have you updated your skin care routine since middle or high school?  Tell us in the Comments section!
 
Sources
Alexis Wolfer, beauty and wellness expert, The Beauty Bean (www.thebeautybean.com)

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