It’s been almost two years since I started following the craze that is the Korean skincare and boy it has been a roller coaster ride! I started with a really stressed and acne-ridden skin. Okay, acne-ridden was probably an exaggeration. I had a lot of acne, okay? They simultaneously just popped on my skin – small, medium, and large, really deep, cystic ones.
Don’t be grossed out because I'm going to be oversharing here. This was how my skin looked like when I started exploring the world of Korean skincare. I always try to pop them (which I now refrain from doing) that's why they are a little red.
I was that teenager in high school that had good skin. I never had many pimples back then. I'd get two or three pimples in a year. So you could imagine my frustration when, during my early-20s, clusters of pimple started appearing on my face and showed no signs of slowing down no matter how thickly I applied the spot treatment cream.
I tried going to a dermatologist and she gave me clindamycin gel which basically did nothing. Frustrated with spending more money and not getting results, I tried solving the problem by myself. I consulted Dr. Google. I found a simple DIY home remedy with lemon and baking soda. Since I had all the ingredients on hand, I very excitedly tried it hoping that all my skin worries will go away. It didn't. Instead, it made my skin tight and even more oily throughout the day. I followed my google-ing with more google-ing until I came across several YouTube channels dedicated to Korean beauty. Having visited Korea years prior and been aware that the beauty industry in Korea is very innovative, I got intrigued and tried it.
Without really keeping in mind the status of my skin, I started building my own roster of skincare. I purchased them online and after 2 months of waiting for my orders to arrive, I officially started using my personally curated Korean skincare products.
For those of you who do not know, the Korean skincare has a 10-step routine. Ingredient-wise, I didn’t really care too much. I took whatever it is that is trendy and reasonably priced. Snail products were really big that time so I started building my routine around it. I didn't go full Korean on the routine because I didn't want the products I was using at that time go to waste. This was my full routine.
1. Oil Cleanser - Vichy Purete Thermale Micellar Cleansing Oil
2. Water-Based Cleanser - La Roche Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel
3. Exfoliator - I skipped it because my skin was already too irritated.
4. Toner - Chica Y Chico Skin Texture Toner
5. Essence - LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence
6. Treatments - COSRx Snail Power Mucin 96 Essence
7. Sheet Masks - The Face Shop various masks
8. Eye cream - Skinfood Salmon Brightening Eye Cream
9a. Day Moisturizer - The Face Shop Clean Face Mild Lotion
9b. Night Moisturizer - Mizon All-In-One Snail Skin Repair Cream
10. Sunscreen - La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 50+
Two weeks passed and my skin looked way worse than before I started.
The number of pimples I had on my face doubled, and I developed small bumps on my forehead. I felt so helpless. I stopped using everything.
Again, I turned to google. This time, I came across reddit.com. There was an entire community solely for Asian beauty. I lurked around and found so many interesting and useful discussions. One of them is the use of acid exfoliators and how they are the more preferred way of exfoliation to treat acne.
With this information in mind, I once again placed an order for a BHA solution and a pH-balancing toner. Upon my order’s arrival, I started again this time with only basic products – facial cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Then I gradually added one product after another every 2 weeks until I finally built up a whole entire routine.
My skin improved a little. I continued doing research and realized that some of the products I was using were incompatible with my skin. I did more research. I replaced, added, and removed some products and this is my skin now.
Currently, I am following this daily routine:
Morning
Morning
1. Wash face with water.
2. Apply hydrating toner (no alcohol) on a cotton pad and swipe across the face.
3. Apply morning serum.
4. Apply eye serum.
5. Moisturize.
6. Apply facial oil.
7. Apply sunscreen.
Evening
1. Double-cleanse with an oil-based cleanser followed by a mild facial wash.
2. Apply pH-adjusting toner.
3. Apply BHA solution.
4. Apply hydrating toner (no alcohol.)
5. Apply hyaluronic acid serum.
6. Moisturize.
7. Apply sleeping mask.
8. Apply lip mask.
I took me 8 months to calm my skin down. I still struggle with some hyperpigmentation but I don’t get such severe breakouts anymore. I get maybe a pimple or two from time to time if I don’t get enough sleep or if it’s that time of the month but overall, my skin condition has improved so much.
I don’t follow the Korean skincare routine religiously anymore. If there is one thing I’ve learned from it, it is to not pile product after product on my face just for the sake of the routine. Don't get me wrong, the routine helped me a lot and I am thankful to the beauty gods who came up with it. I guess what I'm saying is that I learned how to listen to my skin more and not to listen to the marketing noises of the beauty industry. Learning how to figure out what our skin truly needs is probably the most important skincare tool we should all have. All in all, I am happy where it led me. It was a very stressful process but I am thankful for the Korean skincare principles, nonetheless because it made me understand my skin better.
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