3 Skincare Ingredients You Need in 2021

So we are all going into 2021 thinking about clear glowing skin, right? Here I’ll tell you the 3 ingredients you need to use to achieve your skin goals and get your glow back!

I’d like to mention that I am in no way an expert, I receive my advice from experts, do my research and have tons of personal experience from my own skin journey.

1. Vitamin C

This is the first ingredient you need to include in your skincare routine for that glow. Vitamin C will help brighten up your skin, even out that tone, lighten up spots and will firm and tighten. Vitamin C works in the skin to boost collagen which gives it it’s elasticity and thickness. You’ll get that bounce back for sure. There are so many different vitamin C serums and other products out there that it can be intimidating. My suggestion would be to get a serum that you use in the morning under moisturizer and SPF. L Ascórbic acid is the gold standard, but can be pricey and unstable. THD (tetrahexyldecyl) is a very stable derivative and can be found very commonly and more budget friendly. Find a serum that doesn’t make your skin feel more sensitized, dry or cause bumps or acne. Find a gentle one that includes the vitamin c ingredient high up on the ingredient list! I am using the Summer Fridays serum currently since it fits my budget and is gentle on my sensitive skin. I see results very quickly with my red marks and scars turning much pinker and lighter.

2. Retinol

Retinol is the #1 anti-aging and anti-acne ingredient. It’s proven over and over to show the best results for your overall skin clarity and health. This ingredient can be found again in tons of different forms. You can always try an over the counter retinol from Sephora or the drugstore to start out - or if your acne is severe enough just go straight to the dermatologist. Once your skin is very used to the over the counter stuff, go see your derm and get a prescription. Retin-A or Tretinoin or Adapelene are what the doctor can prescribe you. This stuff is extremely strong and comes in like 0.025 percentage creams or gels to start. Even something with that little percentage must be taken seriously and very slowly. Once a week, then twice a week and then every other night to build up your skins tolerance to the ingredient. Make sure your skin is very dry before applying, wait another 30 or so minutes before your moisturizer too. Use only at night as it causes photo (sun) sensitivity.

3. SUNSCREEN

Nothing will work, not even your cleanser if you aren’t protecting your skin first. The sun ages you and will cause so much damage that your other products will be basically useless in fixing it. It‘s so easy to just slap on some SPF after your moisturizer in the morning.

I’m going to expand on this - SPF is necessary when using retinol. Period. Retinol increases cell turnover from the bottom up. So it’s pushing baby beautiful new skin cells to the top very fast that can be sensitive and will damage in the sun if you don’t protect it every single morning with sunscreen. Vitamin C can only do so much if the sun is just creating darker spots on the skin making it ineffective as clearing the spots.

You can get a chemical or physical sunscreen, whichever you prefer, tinted or white and make sure you love it so that you use it.

That‘s the post! Vitamin C serum in the morning, retinol of some sort every other night and your sunscreen every single morning. I promise you that the acne will go away, the spots will fade and you will be bouncy soft and glowing. (Don‘t forget to cleanse like I mentioned in my previous post and moisturize which I’ll get into in the future).

Much Love,

Erin xo