When it comes to skincare, most people follow these two broach methods: a minimalistic approach complete with a basic CTM skincare routine, and a maximalist approach, filled with jellies, creams, serums, and lotions. While both the skincare practices guarantee you glowing skin (only if you are diligent with them), following a detailed 20-step skincare process day and night, can sometimes prove too much for your skin. It can also hinder the results that you would expect to achieve with continued use.
So what should you do if you feel that you are going overboard with your skincare products, or if your skin needs a break? Cue skin fasting—a rising skincare practice over the past few years, and your skin’s personal version of detox cleanse. But how exactly do you skin fast? And are there benefits of skin fasting? Let’s find out!
What Exactly Is Skin Fasting?
As the name suggests, skin fasting is taking a break from your current skincare routine and products to give your skin time to breathe, revitalise, and reset. Additionally, this skincare practice allows your skin to naturally function the way it was intended to, without the help of any skincare ingredients or products.
While the concept of skin fasting sounds fairly straightforward, its methodology can vary from one person to another. For instance, like food-related fasting, there can be different levels of how much skincare you want to eliminate and for how long. Just remember, the main idea of this process is to help your skin rebuild its protective barrier to foster better skin resilience and health. It can also be a great way of detecting products that weren’t doing much good to your skin or causing irritation and nixing them once and for all.
The best part about this skin practice is that it is totally pregnancy-safe and doesn’t include the application of any harmful or chemically-loaded skincare products. You just need to incorporate a minimal number of pregnancy-safe products and give your skin a breather.
How Do You Skin Fast?
Your skin fasting technique should be based on two factors: one being your skin’s physical needs, and the second being your personal preferences. If you want to go full experiment mode and do a complete skin fast, then stop using all your skincare products entirely. This means no cleansing, no toning, and no applying serums, moisturisers, or lotions. Just let your skin’s natural sebum do the protective and balancing activities and allow it to rebuild and reset.
But if you can’t go a day without your skincare products, you can consider sticking to the basics, such as cleansing, moisturising, and applying SPF.
Who Should Try Skin Fasting?
Ideally, skin fasting is perfect for those with skin sensitivities and a dry complexion. If you have acne or oily prone skin, then it’s best you opt out of a full-length skin fast as improper cleansing may lead to dirt and oil build-up in your skin layer, thereby leading to stubborn acne breakouts and dull spots.
If you have a dry or sensitive complexion, then after cleansing and toning your face, apply a thick layer of aloe vera gel to your skin. It will help soothe irritation and redness, and also give your skin a boost of hydration and rejuvenation.
When Should You Avoid Skin Fasting?
You should avoid skin fasting if you suffer from disorders like uncontrolled acne, eczema, rosacea, melasma, or any other skin condition that requires topical products to help. What you can do instead of skin fasting is boost your pregnancy skincare routine with active ingredients, such as niacinamide and vitamin C to control your skin condition.
If you are tackling hyperpigmentation and melasma, opt for a natural vitamin C serum, packed with ferulic acid to boost skin hydration, neutralise free radicals, and prevent sun damage. Those dealing with acne can opt for a natural niacinamide face serum combined with squalane, licorice, and zinc to balance oil production in your skin, even tone your skin and reduce acne and blemishes.
Skin fasting may not be a one-size-fits-all process, but what can really help is listening to your skin and understanding its needs to tailor the best routine. Also, if you want to try skin fasting, take it slow by eliminating one skincare product at a time, and then notice how your skin is reacting. Gradually, reduce the number of products you use in your skincare routine and give your skin the time to reset and rebuild.
Skin fasting is also a great technique for those wanting a fresh start or rebooting their skincare routine. Explore different pregnancy-safe skincare products and ingredients, and if you are confused at any point, don’t hesitate to consult your dermatologist for more guidance.
Also read:
Use of antioxidants for skin during pregnancy: Learn how the use of antioxidants in your pregnancy skincare routine can transform your skin texture and health.
Slugging and its skin benefits: Check out this post to learn the amazing benefits of slugging and how to do it with your pregnancy-safe skincare products.
Moisture sandwich to beat dry skin during pregnancy: Check out this post to learn how you can banish your dry skin woes with a moisture sandwich.
Featured image: Pexels.com
