Feeling called to make some changes in your skincare routine? Start with simple, habit-building resolutions that will give you both short- and long-term results for glowing, healthy skin.

Ahh, an annual pivot point. The times in our year where we take a step back and assess our day-to-day. Whether it’s a new calendar year, a birthday, or a solstice, we often use significant dates to make promises (aka resolutions) to ourselves about the changes we want to make in our lives.

However, resolutions are easy to make, and often difficult to keep. It’s hard to change behaviour, especially when it comes to our health. Not only is this because results are unlikely to be seen overnight, which can leave us feeling discouraged, but we often become focused on perfection. One little slip and we feel we are back to square one. 

At Iremia, we believe that skincare is not about promises, or overnight miracles. Healthy skin is about the habits you maintain consistently, and that includes choosing the best products to support your skin’s natural functions. 

What is a skincare routine edit, and how can it support you? Let’s make some simple adjustments together for healthy, glowing skin. 

What is a skincare routine edit?

Though well-intentioned, resolutions can often feel like an overhaul, which makes them not only less fun but difficult to sustain. When it comes to our skin, we prefer to think of desired changes as “routine edits”: a skincare routine edit is a habit you implement (and commit to) to support and maintain healthy skin.

Choosing rituals that work for you, and that you are excited about, is the best way to keep up with your skincare routine. Why? Because consistency is key, and implementing enjoyable changes means you are more likely to maintain your new habit. 

So, what changes would you like to make foryour skin?

What are your skin goals?

The first step in formulating a successful routine edit for your skincare is to determine what your unique skin goals are.

Reducing redness? Nourishing dry, flaky skin? Promoting balance?

Take a moment to sit down and reflect on how your skin is feeling. While we routinely rely on visual cues for what is going on for our skin, our rational brain often goes into overdrive based on these visuals, and may not be providing us with accurate solutions for how to address the problem. 

Resolution = re-solution. It might be time to re-evaluate our habits to see what is helping us, and what might no longer be of service. And the first step is to truly get in touch with our skin.

For example, if you’re dealing with dry, flaky skin, your first instinct after seeing flakes may be to exfoliate. But this may worsen the problem as well as damage the skin.

By taking a moment to feel into our skin (rather than jumping to old habits), you may discover that the flakes are a sign that your skin needs additional moisture. Consider using a hydrating oil (such as our Restorative Facial Oil) or thicker moisturizer (like our Protective Cream) to restore and support your skin’s natural moisture barrier.

No matter what your skin goals are, we’ve made a list of simple, achievable routine edits (appropriate for every skin type!) to help you get in touch with your skin. And remember: it’s about quality over quantity! Start with the changes that feel intuitive for you, check in with your skin as you go, and remember that healthy skin is a journey, not a destination. 

4 routine edits for calm and clear skin

1. Simplify your skincare routine

Your skin doesn’t need a lot of products,just a few great ones, and the routine you build should be soothing and supportive to your natural skin. However, even with great products, how often you use them — and how you use them — could be the difference between frustrated skin and a glowing complexion. 

The most effective skincare routine is one that is simple with carefully chosen ingredients. Try paring down your skincare routine for a skin re-set: a gentle cleanser, a mist (did you know moisturizer should be applied to damp skin?), and a moisturizer. Try this for 10 to 30 days, and see how you feel as your skin barrier starts to recalibrate. If you do want to reintroduce other products eventually, do so slowly and intentionally.

2. Switch to clean beauty products

Just as your skincare routine requires careful consideration and accommodation, especially during its most sensitive moments, the beauty products we use on our skin may need to be considered and adjusted as well. 

Many conventional beauty products contain unsafe ingredients (hormone disruptors, allergens, irritants, toxins, etc.) that can affect the health of our skin and can be especially noticeable if you have sensitive skin. If you’re in the market for clean, sensitive skin-friendly beauty products, experts such as Maria Velve at Green Beauty Curator have amazing selections of tried-and-tested products to start your clean beauty journey (check out chat with Maria here on ways to switch up your beauty routine for a calmed and clear complexion). 

3. Eat for your skin

Skin health is holistic — it’s not just about what you put on your skin, but healthy skin also depends on how we nourish our bodies. Incorporateseasonal, nutrient-packed foods (as well as plenty of water!) to help your skin look and feel its best.

Try increasing your antioxidant intake by eating richly-coloured fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help to protect and heal skin from free radicals and damage from environmental factors, such as pollution. Remember that the darker the colour, the more antioxidant-rich your fruit or veggie is.

And don’t forget about good fats aka fatty acids — oily fish (like salmon), cashews, and flaxseed oil are great options for getting our necessary omega 3’s and protein.

4. Shift your focus to self-care

We know stress can affect us in many ways, but our skin usually isn't the first thing we think about when we consider the effects of a stressful lifestyle. But taking a more holistic view of our skin is becoming increasingly recognized — and useful! — in helping us help our skin. A relatively new field called psychodermatology studies the connection between the mind and skin.

Taking the focus off your skin may be exactly what is needed to reframe your skincare journey — concentrating on the effect (skin issues) rather than the cause (stress and lifestyle) is not only counterintuitive but means we may always be fighting an uphill battle.

Taking care of YOU should always be priority number one — make space to rest, regenerate, and trust that, with a little skincare support, your skin will reap the benefits of your self-care. 

Routine edit roundup

• Keep it simple — the most effective skincare routine is one that is simple with carefully chosen ingredients;
• Consider switching to clean beauty products when it’s time to repurchase;
• Eat foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids;
• Skin health is holistic — caring for YOU is caring for your skin.