On the quest for perfect skin, beauty enthusiasts might be tempted to spend more money and layer tons of products to achieve clear, glowing skin. An exfoliant to smooth out the skin, a toner to brighten, a serum to hydrate, the list goes on. However, when it comes to skincare, less can be more. Enter skin streaming, Tiktok’s latest trend and definitely one worth trying. If you’re looking to shake up your routine or are simply tired of the tedious 10 step routine before bed, skin streaming might be for you.
What is Skin Streaming?
A minimalist approach to skincare, skin streaming involves streamlining your skincare routine and reducing it down to just three or four essential steps and products that target your skin’s concerns effectively. Skin streaming is also about shifting the mindset of excess to one that is more intentional, focusing on what we need and what works, instead of simply what the newest products are.
While many of us might think that the more the better, overwhelming your skin with a million different products can do more harm than good. This is because layering multiple products can dilute their individual efficacy. Your skin is also only capable of absorbing only two or three products at a time, meaning that these products may not even end up penetrating the skin, washing your hard earn money down the drain. Additionally, layering incompatible actives can inactive each other or result in irritation, sensitivity or a compromised skin barrier. This can exacerbate skin conditions or even create new ones like dermatitis and hyperpigmentation, rendering your skincare routine counterproductive.
Benefits of Skin Streaming
Besides the obvious financial benefits of skin streaming, skin streaming can help prevent the skin from being irritated from layering and testing the plethora of products on the market. It also contributes to less waste as many of the skincare products we try inevitably end up in the back of our shelves after a week or two of testing. By practicing skin streaming, we focus on products that are necessary for the skin, and the reduced number of products and steps can help build consistency in our skincare routine, ensuring that we can reap the full potential of our skincare routine. Remember, the skin turns over once every 27 days, meaning that if you’re too quick to switch up or add new products, they might not even have had the chance to work!
How to Streamline Your Routine
If you’re keen on trying out this new trend, here are some tips for a successful streamlined skincare routine:
Stick to the Basics
Cleansing, moisturising, and applying sunscreen are the bare minimum you need. Cleansing your skin is essential to wash off the dirt and oil that’s accumulated on your skin throughout the day to prevent breakouts. Hydration is also necessary, whether you’re dry or oily, so make sure you don’t skip out on a good hydrating serum or moisturiser. If you are suffering with specific concerns like acne or uneven skin, consider adding one additional step or product to target those issues. Lastly, given the impact of UV rays on our skin, a good sunscreen with at least SPF30 should always be a part of your daily skincare routine.
Find Your Focus
Think about what your skin really needs! While we all want to have perfect skin, as aforementioned, more is not better so finding out your skin type and pinpointing its needs is the way to go.
Learn your ingredients
When looking for skincare, stick to clinically proven ingredients and learn which are best suited for your skin. This way, you can make informed decisions when buying products and avoid unnecessary purchases.
Choose Products with Multiple Benefits
Adding multi-tasking products with more than one benefit helps to effectively fill the skin’s needs without cluttering up your drawers and breaking the bank. This way, you will also be able to skip a few steps in your skincare routine. For example, if you have dry skin and are concerned about dullness, choose a moisturiser that contains vitamin C as well. Alternatively, if you have oily, acne prone skin, choose a cleanser with salicylic acid to cleanse and treat your skin.
Check out our article on different skincare ingredients to learn how to effectively build your streamlined skincare routine!
