Every time I blink it feels like a new skincare product has weaseled its way into my routine. It’s to the point where I’ve found myself putting on upwards of 10 products a day! And let’s not get started on how much I spent on everything.
The worst part? I’m not sure my skin looks any better.
As I stood poking and prodding at my skin in the mirror the other day, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, I decided to rewind and assess what I knew about my skin.
I have sensitive, combination skin. My main issue is that I get congestion along my jaw and have some dark spots near the corners of my eyes.
When I looked back at my products, I realized something. I’d picked each one to target a specific part of my skin. A brightening serum. A pore-refining toner. While completely ignoring that some of my choices were actually incompatible with other parts of my skin–my sensitivity and dry patches. I also got into the habit of choosing cheaper options because my lineup of products was causing my wallet to get lighter and lighter.
My skin needed a break from all the confusion I was putting it through. So in my search to find a solution that would save me time, money, my sanity, and most importantly, my skin, I learned about skinimalism.
What is Skinimalism?
Skinimalism is all about streamlining your routine by choosing multifunctional products that use quality ingredients. It's about caring for your skin as a whole–no more trying to constantly problem solve your skin with individual solutions. Skinimalism focusses on narrowing down your routine to products that will elevate your skin’s overall health and longevity.
Even the name shows this concept in action. Why make it complicated? Skin minimalism becomes much more clean, simple, and fun when shortened down to skinimalism.
Skinimalism also takes a “back to basics” approach, where what you seek from your products are not trendy buzzwords like glass skin or poreless complexion, but the foundational components of skin health: cleanliness, hydration, barrier health, and protection.
Another key aspect which really hits home for me as a sensitive skin girlie is focussing on anti-inflammatory products and ingredients. It’s a tenant of Graydon Skincare’s focus on skin longevity, and for good reason. When you make your skin react over and over with certain skincare products, your skin has to do damage control to recover every time. Your diet also plays a huge part in skin inflammation–if you’re curious about that side of things, check out this article from Graydon.
But getting back to skinimalism, when I gave it a try, it made a huge difference for my skin, the state of my bathroom counter, and my wallet. I started to look forward to my skincare routine every day instead of dreading what used to be a long, laborious process with results I didn’t love.
How to Streamline Your Skincare Routine
First things first, say this with me: I give myself permission to get rid of skincare products I don’t like or use.
When I finally told myself this and acted on it… poof! Half the bottles cluttering up my vanity disappeared. (Plus, my bestie got her hands on a couple things she’d been wanting to try!)
I give myself permission to get rid of skincare products I don’t like or use.
If you want to really pare down what you’re using, you can have healthy skin with just three products: a cleanser, a moisturizer, and an SPF. You can also include a serum since it’s a potent way for your skin to absorb ingredients and get particular benefits.
For example, I use sensitive skin friendly Supermoon Serum mostly because I want help with my dark spots and skin texture, but because it’s multifunctional and formulated with quality natural ingredients, it does a world of good for my skin outside of my focus on particular skin issues (which is the whole point of skinimalism!)
Why are just those three the bare minimum, though?
It’s because they each perform an essential service to your skin. Cleansers are what remove the dirt, debris, pollution, excess sebum, and makeup you accumulate on your skin throughout the day.
A moisturizer provides what might just be the most essential skincare benefit out there: hydration. Hydration means the amount of water content in your skin, and when your skin cells are hydrated, their cellular function is increased and you have better cellular turnover.
The last, of course, is your SPF. Sun damage is one of the most common and impactful ways your skin can be harmed. Applying sunscreen daily is essential to your skin’s protection, health, and longevity. And yes, I do mean daily.
What makes a skinimalist routine effective is carefully selecting your product for each category. You want to find a happy balance of suitability for your skin type, ingredients that target your skin concerns, high quality formulation, and a price point that makes you feel good about repurchasing each time.
High quality ingredients and multifunctional formulas are a skinimalist’s dream.
This isn’t unique to skinimalism, of course. These are factors you probably weigh every time you try a new product. However, now when you search for products, quality and multifunctional benefits are top of the list! No more single products for a single skin concern. Instead, taking a holistic approach to skincare where each product supports the multitude of ways your skin is unique is the goal.
The Graydon Skinimalist Routine
Everyone will have a lineup of products that work best for them, but all skin needs the basics: hydration, skin barrier support, protection, and ingredients that won’t cause inflammation or skin reactions.
Here’s a simple skinimalism routine with that in mind.
I’ll walk through why I chose each one so you see their benefits. You can use this list as a jumping off point for building your own skinimalist routine!
Cleanser: Aloe Milk
I love Aloe Milk because it’s very gentle and the creamy texture feels amazing on my skin. It’s also truly earning its spot on my shelf–I use it as a face mask (I leave it on for 15 minutes) and a makeup remover. It gets off even the tough stuff like my eyeliner and mascara.
Aloe Milk is suitable for all skin types, minimizes the appearance of pores, soothes skin with anti-inflammatory/hydrating ingredients like aloe vera and maple sap, and brightens dark spots.
Moisturizer: Skin Stuff
Skin Stuff does all the things a great moisturizer should: hydrates, fortifies your skin barrier, promotes skin elasticity, brightens dull skin, and smooths texture, fine lines, and wrinkles. The ceramides in Skin Stuff support the structure of your skin cells, meaning this moisturizer cares for your skin down to the cellular level.
It’s gentle, soothing, and formulated with even the most reactive skin in mind. Not too light, not too heavy, Skin Stuff’s feel on your skin is, as Goldilocks would say, just right. I love how it absorbs without residue and keeps my skin looking plump throughout the day.
SPF: A 30 SPF or Up Sunscreen
It’s becoming more and more well known that SPF is a must for daily wear. Now that more dermatologists and skin experts have taken to social media to share their expertise, you hear this tidbit of skincare advice everywhere.
When it comes to choosing a daily SPF, there are tons of options out there. Chemical vs. mineral sunscreen is usually one of the first big choices, alongside which level of SPF to actually go for. (I prefer mineral because it’s better for sensitive skin and the environment).
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, “Dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, which blocks 97% of the sun's UVB rays.” This means that anything lower might not offer enough protection, especially if you spend a lot of time in the sun.
The Bonus Item
I have one more add-on to the routine (other than my shout out to Supermoon Serum earlier).
An exfoliation tool.
I rotate between using a sponge and just a simple washcloth. (It honestly depends on which one needs a clean!) Using an exfoliation tool while cleansing helps me get rid of even the toughest dirt and debris on my skin. Feels extra good after a smoggy day downtown or a sweaty workout.
Pare it Down Even More
If you’ve been reading this article and thinking, “Are you sure it can’t be simplified even more?” This section is for you. If you want something really simple and basic–you can try out soaps and lotions made for both the face and body.
Graydon Skincare has All Over Soap and All Over Lotion. They’re both gentle and have refreshing scents without being over the top (which is one of my main complaints for body washes and lotions). This is also a great combination to keep for guests or to give to your kids if they’re starting to transition into having their own skincare routines.
Simple Routines, Multifunctional Products
Skinimalism prioritizes getting the most out of the least. Instead of multiple products that all do different things, keeping it simple and choosing products with high quality ingredients offering a wide range of benefits is what makes skinimalism more than just streamlining–it’s less time, cash, and stress dedicated to your skin with a healthier outcome.
Going back to basics never looked so good.
If you’re like me and want to try out skinimalism, I encourage you to get creative with what you do with all your existing skincare. I gave you permission to get rid of it earlier, but there might be a few ways you can be less wasteful. Some of my strategies include using up face products on my body or giving products to friends to try. And if you do have some faves in there you aren’t ready to part with–don’t. Make them one of your basics in your skinimalism routine! You get to make the rules.
As for me, I cleanse and moisturize twice daily (if I remember before bed, that is) and use my serum once. I put on my SPF a little while before going out for the day, and reapply when needed. That’s it. My skin barrier is in much better shape and the flakiness and texture I was dealing with has gone away.
Plus, my piggy bank is pretty happy 🐷
