Let’s face it. New skin routine trends are emerging every day, making us feel the need to comply with all the new rules with the hope that our skin will finally look perfect. The global market has been under a significant influence of the “all natural” movement, where there is more emphasis on natural products free of synthetic ingredients.

But where does that leave us, the customers?

In the ever expanding cosmetic market, we are only getting progressively more confused over which product to buy. Even if we finally come to a decision and actually try a product, more often than not, it turns out to be a wrong choice for our skin type.

We, the consumers, are left in a completely “no win” situation. How to know which routine to follow, how to pick a perfect line of products that will completely suit your face and body?

The answer to this question is quite simple – follow your gut.

What is Intuitive Skincare?

Intuitive skincare might be a new trend by name, but every person, reaching a certain age comes to the same conclusion – I will put on my skin what I feel is best.

This is, actually, the basic principle of intuitive skincare.

When you are younger, you tend to follow trends, whether we are talking about fashion, food, or, in this case, beauty products. When the years have passed, and you have tried every trend there is, you finally come to a state of mind where following trends just isn’t your thing anymore, and you start establishing a trend of your own, without a single concern of what other people are going to think about it.

It’s called growing up.

And it’s true, some come to this conclusion earlier in their lives, others later. Although the idea of intuitive skincare is not something new, the importance of the approach is enormous.

The basic guidelines of the trend are to take a big step back and reflect on how your body and skin are feeling.

The idea for this whole process actually emerged from the fact that, due to the Cov-19 pandemic, we are all spending more time at our homes, alone with our thoughts. The world actually took a big break from the fast pace of modern living, which might prove beneficial in many ways. In this case, thinking about what is best for the wellbeing of your skin.

Intuitive skincare is about listening to what your body is telling you. Your body is constantly giving you signals of its state. When everything is well, you are not experiencing any symptoms.

However, if anything changes for the worse, you start experiencing pain, irritation and numerous other signs something is not quite right, and that you need to get it checked.

The brutal speed of modern day life has made us ignore the signs completely, and ask for help only when it is already too late. This sudden change of pace due to the pandemic will, hopefully, make us more grateful for the time we have, and teach us to always leave time to listen to our inner needs.

Many of you wonder what that has to do with the state of your skin.

Well, skin, being the biggest organ of your body, is also actively giving you signals that reflect its state. Practicing intuitive skincare regimen means that you have to listen to those signals throughout the year, even during the month. The state of your skin can change on a daily, monthly and seasonal basis. Your task is to listen carefully and make the appropriate changes accordingly.

Why Has This Trend Become So Popular?

The basic idea around this trend revolves around acceptance and body positivity – an idea that has, finally, become all the rage (not a minute too soon, if you ask us).

With the everlasting desire for your body and face to be perfect, the dissatisfaction that arises from the not-so-perfect stages of your skin can only put additional stress on it.

Accepting the transitional changes as something natural and a way for your skin to deal with outer irritants means you are putting less pressure on it to look perfect. Consequently, by being in tune with all the stages of your skin, be they good or bad, you are actually going to achieve the desired effect – fewer skin irritations.

By breaking all vicious circles of following routines that don’t actually work, and that are only making your skin more dependent on certain products, you are choosing to follow the routine that you develop for yourself. That way, you are choosing different products that you know will work wonders for your skin, disregarding the omnipresent influence of commercials and ads. Pick what you see fit.  

Independence means freedom for your skin.

What Are the Basic Rules of Intuitive Skincare?

Listen to Your Skin and Body

Pay close attention to the stages your skin is in. Touch your skin and feel its surface, try to realize what it needs at that particular moment.

What does your complexion tell you? Is your skin feeling uncomfortably tight or oily? Are you experiencing a breakout?

After you have asked yourself all these questions, you will choose your routine accordingly.

However, as personal as this approach may seem, there are few general guidelines that everybody needs to follow. These don’t include a specific product, but certain actions everybody needs to take. Actions that are scientifically proven to be essential in maintaining the health of both your body and mind.

Get Enough Sleep

You must have noticed your skin doesn’t look the same in the morning when you wake up after a good night’s sleep, and after only a couple of hours of sleep after, for example, pulling an all-nighter.

Sleep and the state of your skin go hand in hand, don’t doubt this for a second. A healthy sleep will mean healthy skin, so be sure that you are getting enough sleep for your body to rest and your skin to recover.

During the night, your skin is trying to restore and repair all the damage that has been done to it during the day. This includes removing toxins, repairing cell and DNA damage as a consequence of environmental irritants, and replacing aging cells in order to create new ones. This is the reason why skin looks fresher, younger and more radiant after a good night’s sleep.

If you deprive yourself of sleep, your face and body will show the consequences of such actions very soon. The dark circles under your eyes, changes in the skin texture, and the appearance of wrinkles will show that you haven’t been doing things in a proper manner.

So, do what you think is best, but try to maintain a good sleeping routine.

Drink Lots of Water

This advice might sound as that one awful song they put on repeat on the radio (we all know at least one such song), and you start hearing it everywhere. However, as annoying as it is, there is a good reason for that.

Water is essential for the basic functioning of your organs, so you mustn’t disregard the amount advised for you to take.

As for the skin, the benefits of drinking enough water are numerous. Drinking enough water helps your skin get rid of toxins and gives it an evener tone. In addition, the water you drink helps your skin stay hydrated, and slows down the ageing process by increasing its elasticity. It also helps with the healing process, so some wounds can actually heal faster if you drink enough water.

Believe it or not, it can also help you with your acne problem, since it is beneficial for balancing the oil and water on the skin. By doing this, it reduces excess sebum secretion, which is, in most cases, the main culprit of acne breakouts.

We can go on and on about all the benefits of drinking water, but these ones will suffice.

Be Careful of What You Eat

The impact your diet has not just on your skin, but on your overall health has been emphasized a million times before. Fast food, sugar and other unhealthy, yet delicious, foods should never be a part of your dietary regimen if you want to have clear and radiant skin.

Your skin needs a balanced diet, filled with vitamins, minerals, and proteins, and you just can’t find that in a half a pound of ice cream. (But wouldn’t life be great if you could?)

On the other hand, everything in moderation is also an applicable saying. Stressing over what to eat is also not a good alternative, and it will certainly not have a favorable effect on your skin. 

Be Ready for Changes

As we have previously mentioned, your skin goes through all sorts of changes throughout the year. Getting familiar and respectful of all these changes gives you the upper hand and an advantage of knowing which products to use and which routine to follow in advance.

 If your period is on the way, and you know that your skin is going to get extra sensitive, you are going to, for example, cool off from heavy makeup products, or fast food and give yourself a nice bath with essential oils, or a cleansing routine, ending it with a fine moisturizer. This is just an example, what works for one person, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for the next one.

Put Your Intuition into Action

This is the final stage of a long journey. According to this new trend, if you have made peace with all the stages your skin goes through, and all its imperfections, if you have accepted them fully, you are ready to form a unique skincare regimen of your own.

If you listen carefully to what your skin has to tell you, you will know which actions are due. It is of the essence not to disregard even the slightest sign of what it is trying to tell you. Otherwise, consequences can be harsh.

If your skin feels dull in the morning, be sure to reward it with a fine moisturizer which will make it fresh again. If it feels dry, again, moisturizer to the rescue. See if your weekly skin routine is actually working for your skin.

Does it really need to be exfoliated that often or will a cleaning tonic be just enough?

This trend is actually saving you money by making you realize you don’t need so many products to heal your skin. The key thing here is to be responsive to your skin’s needs on a daily basis. Paying close attention to the reaction of your skin to the outer stimulants will help you realize what you need to do to keep it healthy.

For example, we all love the sun. However, not everyone can endure the same amount of time under its influence. If your skin burns easily, be sure to predict your skin’s reaction and make the necessary changes to your plans – keep your skin out of the direct influence of the sun.

If you know in advance you are going to have a stressful day, don’t forget to plan a relaxing face massage and a bubble bath in the evening when everything has come and gone. This will do wonders for the state of your skin because being the main barrier between the outer irritants and your organs, it also takes in all the tension and absorbs all the stress.

So, letting all the stress out is mandatory, and you have to find a way of doing that. A face massage and a bubble bath are just suggestions, do what you think will suit your skin the most.

How Has the Intuitive Skincare Trend Influenced the Beauty Market?

Surprisingly enough, the intuitive skincare trend has taken the beauty market by storm. Everybody wants to get a piece of that cake, so the race for developing the most approachable and effective products, that are at the same time generic and unique, has begun.

The evidence of this can be seen in, for example, the emergence of personalized check powders. If you had doubts whether that could actually be a thing, let us assure you, it can. The basic principle of a personalized powder lies in the way it reacts with the moisture of the skin of its user. It will not have the same consistency, and the same effect, depending on the state of your skin.

Pretty amazing, right?