This week, kids, we’re going back to skincare basics. I’m going to break down your basic skin products and what to look for. As everyone’s skin is different, to try and cover all skins types would be too mammoth a task. The sheer breadth of products out there can be a little confusing, especially in combination with sneaky marketing. So, this time round I’m just going to give some basic information and a few product recommendations for getting good skin.

Cleanser. A foaming, creamy or oil based cleanser used in conjunction with water is designed to remove makeup and buildup on your skin. You should be wary of any cleanser that’s making more promises than that as it’s only on your skin for a few seconds before you wash it (and the dirt) away. Brands that claim their cleansers have ingredients that have been clinically proven to do this and that neglect to tell you that you’d need to leave the cleanser on your face for far, far longer than the few seconds it takes to use to see any sort of result.* A cleanser should clean without stripping your skin, that’s all. I recommend any of Neutrogena’s range of cleansers (except the scrubs). Be careful to choose correctly for your skin type though, as the Acne Wash range is quite drying.

An important note - Something I feel super strongly about is makeup wipes. Or more importantly, getting rid of them. They may be an occasional alternative for standing over the sink after a late night but for day to day use, they leave too much residue on the skin and swirl your makeup around on your face rather than removing it. Ditch ‘em and invest in a gentle foaming or cream cleanser instead.

Toner. Some people swear by toners as a way of keeping oily skin at bay but I’ve never used one so I’m going to leave them out.

Moisturiser. The number one ingredient in any moisturiser that you use during the day should be SPF. Sun damage is the number one cause of aging, wrinkles and pigmentation and prevention is better than cure (because there isn’t one.) Next, I think it’s best to go oil-free as a general rule unless you have really,  REALLY dehydrated skin.  Again, I recommend Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture with SPF 15 as it’s not greasy but leaves skin moisturised and a little dewy. If you’re going somewhere special however, and you know you’re going to be photographed with a flash, use a moisturiser without an SPF. Titanium dioxide, an ingredient that blocks out the sun’s harmful rays, also photographs pure white.

Exfoliation. My preferred method of exfoliation is wetting a face washcloth with warm water and gently buffing off dead skin. Scrubs with fine particles can damage your skins surface, leaving it with micro abrasions and I strongly discourage using them. You might also find that once you ditch your twice weekly face scrubbing in favour of the gentler option, you won’t need to do it as often.  Another option is with exfoliation with products that have lactic acid or glycolic acid but I’ll delve into these ingredients more in the future.

*Something else to note is that because a product claims it’s been dermatologically tested, tested by dermatologists, clinically tested or anything of the like, doesn’t mean the results were favourable. It just means they tested it.