People are creatures of habit and routine. They can be become upset or resistant when change in their lives occur. In the skin care world, many of us find a product or skin care line we love, and use it forever and expect for that same product to work for us forever.

This, unfortunately, is not the case for most. Over time, our skin changes for many different reasons, like age and weather. It’s important to know how to introduce a new skin care line or product into your routine when the time is right.

Determine Your Skin Type
The first thing you should do is understand your specific skin type. You can do that, here. This crucial step can save you a lot of time, money and make the transition a very seamless process. Once you have your skin type, you should also take note on what you want to change about your skin. For example, if your end result is wanting less breakouts, then identifying your skin type but also noting that you want less breakouts. This is important because your breakouts are a skin condition, not a skin type. You want to treat the skin conditions and use good products for your skin type.

Choose a Skin Care Line
You should only be using a line that is well formulated and skin care products that work well for your skin type. When looking online, look for an option to filter for your skin type. Dry Skin, Normal Skin, Acne & Breakouts. Don’t hesitate to comment on the product with your question or contact the company directly via the ‘Contact Us’ section of their page. Still unsure? Ask a skin care professional to ensure you are choosing the right products for you.

Your Social Calendar Matters
Don’t start a new skin care routine if you have a big event coming up in a couple days. Give yourself a good three to four weeks to try and adjust  your skin to the new products. This also leaves you plenty of time to clear up any breakouts or reactions you have before the event. You can expect to have an adjustment period. You might experience a couple new breakouts while your skin is adjusting and that is normal, but heavy breakouts or itchy bumps/redness is a sign of a reaction and you should discontinue use and seek professional advice from an esthetician or medical professional.

Introduce Products One at a Time
You don’t want to use them all at once because if you have a reaction, you need to be able to identify the culprit. After a week, add in the second product. From there, continue to do so until you are using all of the products at their proper recommendation. An important thing to note here is that you also want to know what products and ingredients not to use together. For instance, if you are using a vitamin c serum and also a product that has retinol or glycolic/salicylic acid in it, you will want to use them at opposite times of the day. My recommendation is always vitamins during the day and acids/retinol at night two to three times a week.

Be Patient
You should give any new skin care products a full six weeks before you declare that it doesn’t work for you. The reason for this is because your skin needs to time to adapt to these changes and continue its functions with the new products and their ingredients.

This year, take back your skin and put your best face forward! 

Leona Baisley Vivid Complexion Having been licensed esthetician for over 8 years, Leona has worked for a variety of spas and wax only salons. She is passionate about skin care, waxing and education for both the professional and the client. She has over 4 years of wax training experience for large organizations and is in the beginning stages of creating her own education classes that will help licensed estheticians and cosmetologists grow their businesses and compete with the top professionals in the industry.