An Uncomplicated Guide to Skincare on a Budget
It feels like every time you look in the mirror you have a new breakout patch. You want to clear things up and feel good about your skin again but coming up with a routine can be expensive. Every influencer you’ve ever watched uses ten or more products from brand-names.
You don’t have that kind of money. What you don’t know is that companies purposely send influencers products so they can advertise for them. Skincare on a budget isn’t out of your reach.
Check out this guide to learn how to get photo op ready skin without hurting your wallet too much.
DIY
Activated charcoal can do some amazing things for your skin but products that contain it can get pretty pricy. That’s why you buy the charcoal tablets and make your own mask and creams. You can even use it to whiten your teeth.
If you have no idea what you’re doing, there are tons of tutorials online that will teach you how to make products with activated charcoal. You may spend a little bit of money buying ingredients to make different products but at least you’re not paying $12 for a single cleanser. If you get enough ingredients, it will be a minute before you have to buy more as well.
Keep Things Simple
When you watch videos of influencers, they have these huge 10-step routines for you to follow along with. The reason why they use so many products is that they’re being paid to promote them. You’re not.
You don’t need to use 6 different cleansers. A single cleanser that you’re loyal to and use each night will do just fine. The best skincare routine on a budget includes an exfoliator, cleanser, serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen. That’s it.
Exfoliator
Your exfoliator will remove the dead skin cells on your face and give you a brighter complexion. It can also stop your pores from getting clogged up and causing you to have breakouts.
Cleanser
If you go to bed without cleansing your face, all of the toxins you gathered on your skin throughout the day will wind up on your pillow. As you sleep, these toxins will absorb into your skin. It’s as gross as it sounds.
Never hit the hay without washing the makeup off your face. You’ll regret it later when your face breaks out.
Serum
Serums are lightweight. This means that it’s easy for all the helpful active ingredients to be absorbed into your skin. You can also use a toner for this purpose but they’re a little heavier.
Moisturizer
After you use the serum, you should apply a light layer of moisturizer. It creates a barrier that stops the moisture from evaporating out of your skin and locks all the serum’s ingredients in place. If you’re going to splurge on one product, let it be your moisturizer.
Sunscreen
You don’t need to go to the beach to apply a healthy layer of sunscreen on your face each morning. The sun’s rays can cause a lot of skin problems. Even being out in it long enough to go to your car can be enough to do some damage.
Expensive Doesn’t Equal Better
That hundred-dollar bottle of facial moisturizer seems great in theory but it’s probably not so great in practice. If you’re paying that much, you’re paying for the brand-name. instead, you should be looking at the ingredients.
Become familiar with which ingredients work the best with your skin and go from there. We’ll tell you that many of the expensive skin products are chocked full of ingredients that you don’t want on your face.
If you flip the bottle over and see stuff like astringents or perfumes, run the other direction. Fragrances aren’t good for your skin and will most likely cause you to break out.
Try Out Free Samples
Many retailers will offer you free samples of their products. Their hope is that you’ll fall in love with the product and buy the larger versions of it. You may have to pay a small shipping cost for them to send you the pack of samples but it should only be about 5-7 for everything you need to have basic skincare on a budget.
To find these samples, you can either email the retailer or go on their website. A lot of the time if they offer them, they’ll advertise it. If you can’t find someone who’s offering samples, you can always use a bath and body works coupon to get a good deal.
Don’t Use Too Much
No matter what product you’re using, you only need a small pea-sized amount to get results. Being a bit conservative with your products will pay off when you don’t have to buy them as often.
Besides, using too much facial cleanser will dry your skin out faster than being out in the sun for 8-hours. Your skin can only absorb so much moisturizer. The rest will sit on your face being wasted and unused.
You Don’t Have to Use Traditional Products
You’d be surprised at what the items in your pantry can do for your skin. If you have some places on your face that are oilier than others, you can control it with milk of magnesia, for example.
Shake the bottle and dab a small bit of it on the oily parts of your face. From there you can go about your morning as usual. You can even apply your makeup over it.
Practicing Good Skincare on a Budget
You don’t have to be rich to be able to get access to quality skin care products. most of the time, the expensive brands will break your face out anyway.
Find a list of ingredients that work with your skin and stick to that. Practice good skincare on a budget and never buy more than you need.
Want to learn more ways to look great without spending a ton of money? Check out the fashion section of our blog daily for all the latest news and tips.
