Skin serums are the extra touch to your daily routine that you may need if you are willing to go an extra mile to achieve your desired skin perfection. Adopting to serums may seem a bit intimidating at first due to their hefty price but the skin benefits you get from them are totally worth it. Serums have a higher concentration of active ingredients meant to target most of our skin problems. The texture is lighter than a moisturizer which makes them perfect to be used on their own for oily skin or can be used before your moisturizer if you have normal to dry skin.
Skin serums are continually shifting, improving and advancing which leaves us with hundreds of possibilities to choose from. End result? A whole lot of confusion, as if picking an outfit daily isn’t hard enough. Allow me to simplify a few basic skin serums you should know about. What they are and what they do.
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The Six Basic skin Serums You should Know About
1. Hydrating skin serums
Dry skin? A skin thirst-quenching serum is the best thing you would splurge on. Sometimes, your moisturizers and face creams don’t completely give you the hydration you need. Your skin still ends up looking dry and parched. Add a hydrating serum which penetrates deep into the skin’s layers giving you an extra layer of hydration before your moisturizer to lock in the important ingredients. The main things you should look for in your serum include Aloe Vera, Hyaluronic acid, Rosehip oil, rose water, Sea kelp, Vitamin E, Jojoba, Argan Oil, and Glycerin.
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2. Skin serums for acne-prone skin
The goal should be to banish breakouts before they form. An acne-fighting serum may just be your ticket out. Your serum should be able to remove dead skin buildup, minimize and unclog your pores, absorb excess oil, tighten your skin and fade any redness, irritation and scars. Look for ingredients like Salicylic acid, Citric acid, Zinc, Botanical extracts such as green tea, thyme, tea tree and cucumber, Alpha-hydroxy acid, and Beta-hydroxy acid.
3. Anti-ageing skin serums
Stopping wrinkles and fine lines as we age may be impossible, slowing them down is the next best possibility. From as early as our mid to late twenties(yikes) our skin begins getting thinner, drier and less elastic because the rate at which collagen and elastin is being produced is slower than the rate at which they are being broken down. External factors such as UV radiation, pollution and lifestyle habits like smoking contribute to the degradation of your skin’s connective tissues and healthy cells. Your serum should target sagging, wrinkles, fine lines and firm your skin improving the overall texture and fine lines. Look for serums containing: Retinol, Vitamin C, Evening primrose, Fruit stem cells, Grape seed extract, Peptides, and Alpha Hydroxy Acids.
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4. Brightening skin serums
No one wants to wake up to uneven skin tone due to hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage, skin injuries or acne marks and scars(at least I don’t). It may take a toll on your confidence especially if it is on your face. Brightening serums help smooth your complexion and fade sunspots diminishing hyperpigmentation, leaving your skin with a natural glow. Look for serums containing: Liquorice root, Vitamin C and E, Grapefruit, Kojic Acid, Peptides, Grapefruit, and Ferulic acid.
5. Exfoliating skin serums
When we talk about exfoliating the first thing that often comes to mind are facial scrubs. Using exfoliating skin serums is the current genius way of exfoliating without having to physically scrub the dead skin. When dead skin piles up our skin become dry, dull, easily irritated, cracked and makes it difficult for products to be absorbed properly. Our pores also clog up which leads to more breakouts. Look for serums containing: Citric acid, Enzymes from fruit or plant extracts, and Glycolic or lactic acids.
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When it comes to skin serums keep one rule in mind. Less is more. They contain highly concentrated ingredients and overusing them may lead to irritation. Remember to use the tips of your fingers when applying. After I started using serums my belief in achieving the perfect skin that I truly desire has become stronger. Do you use skin serums? What has your experience been like? Share in the comments below.
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