The new cosmetic product didn't work wonders right away? There can be various reasons for this. Because the skin also needs time to get used to new things. Sometimes this takes a whole recovery cycle. But how quickly does the skin renew itself? And in which cases is the change particularly noticeable? Here's why a little patience is so much better than constantly switching products.
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Customers often ask me how quickly they notice whether the new care product works or not. And with natural cosmetics it actually looks a bit different than with products with a lot of synthetics. They often rely on the immediate effect, but show unsightly side effects after a while. Many of their ingredients have absolutely no value for the skin. Some of them also irritate them, dry them out or seal them.
With natural cosmetics it's exactly the other way around. It supports the skin's own processes in the long term. Natural ingredients are significantly more complex. Your skin gets more that it can use, but it has to process that first. A new care line is like a change in diet for the skin. If you usually only eat white toast, your digestion will initially react violently to hearty grain bread. The skin also has to adapt to other nutrients. And that can take about a regeneration cycle.
The top layer of skin is constantly renewed. Further down in the epidermis, new cells are formed, which are then slowly pushed up by their successors. In the process, they slowly become horny and finally reach the outside, where they now form the new skin surface. At least until they die off completely and are kicked out by newer cells.
How long this journey takes depends mainly on your age. In adults between 20 and 50 that is around 28 days. So your epidermis completely renews itself about once a month. Unfortunately, cell division slows down over the course of life. Especially beyond the 50 there is a low. As a "Golden Ager" you should give your skin a little more time to get used to new products. We will now see when the changeover will take noticeably time.
Conventional cosmetics usually contain highly purified, petroleum-based substances such as mineral oils or silicones. They rely on superficial effects, but have no nutritional value. They smooth the skin by sealing it, the so-called occlusion. Water can no longer evaporate, which is desirable, but the natural regeneration processes shut down. Other mineral oil products make the skin more permeable to introduce active ingredients. It also makes them dry out more easily. Either way, mineral oils and silicones are completely worthless to the skin itself.
If you have used products with silicone or mineral oil for a long time, your skin will first have to learn to work on its own again. Because natural cosmetics do not replace the natural skin function, but supports them. To do this, it supplies the skin with nourishing oils, for example, which it can either incorporate directly into the skin barrier or process into useful . So natural ingredients are much more complex than mineral oil products. The skin is faced with work that it is no longer used to.
If you have previously used strong sealing (occlusive) creams or aggressive cleansing products, the skin must first regenerate its protective layer. In the first few days or weeks it can therefore feel drier or break out. This is nothing to worry about, it is quite normal during the transition phase. After about 4 weeks, i.e. once your skin has completely renewed itself, these effects usually subside. Now the benefits of natural skin care are really coming to the fore.
☝️ An initial deterioration is not a must, but possible. Here it is simply a matter of holding out for a few days or weeks. Persistent redness, irritation, itching and pustules are not normal. They can indicate an allergy.
Photo by Kamila Maciejewska on Unsplash
If your skin is already severely damaged, switching to new products alone may not be enough. We are talking about skin that is very sensitive, itchy, red, chapped up to full perioral dermatitis
The step-by-step changeover can make sense here. First, avoid aggressive cleansing products or tonics, because they irritate the skin the most. After a week or two, when the skin has calmed down, you can also change the moisturizer. Mild face oils that you apply to damp skin are particularly non-irritating, or a moisturizing serum without alcohol.
And if your skin just won't calm down? Give her a break. If she reacts irritated to mild creams or perhaps even to clear water, the horse cure will help. Harsh but effective as it gives your skin time to settle down. After 3 days of cosmetic fasting (ONLY lukewarm water is allowed) you can slowly approach a new care routine. The following applies: less is more. Take a cream with few natural ingredients and apply it sparingly.
⏳ In perioral dermatitis you unfortunately have to keep the zero therapy longer. Around 6 weeks of cosmetic-free time are announced here.
Yes and no You have very little control over how quickly the epidermis grows new cells. There are a number of things you can do to get rid of dead skin cells more quickly. The top measure for this are peelings. They detach the top horny layer and make your skin look fresher and more even. For best results, exfoliate once or twice a week. You can find out which type of peeling is particularly gentle and the advantages of regular peeling under Everything goes smoothly with the right peeling.
Accelerate cell division, from 4 weeks to 2, well, that would be something! Unfortunately, that's not how it works. You can only support your skin during regeneration. As? By taking good care of yourself. Things that promote blood circulation and prevent oxidation damage have a positive effect. Dos are regular exercise, fresh air, enough sleep, a healthy diet and sensible skin care. Don'ts include lots of sun, stress and cigarettes. Alcohol is not exactly good for the skin either.
Conclusion: Maybe you are immediately happy with your new care strategy. However, it can also take some time before you see a real improvement when you switch up your skin care routine. Your skin renews itself about every four weeks. It may take her that long to get used to new things. This is especially true when ...
... you switch from synthetic ingredients to natural cosmetics because they are metabolized in a completely different way.
... you are over 50 because then your skin regenerates more slowly.
... your skin was severely damaged before the changeover - then the hard cure should be done first > ran.
So patience, patience. Skin care is an endurance race. If you're constantly sprinting from one product to the next, your skin will quickly run out of breath. That's why ultra-small samples that only last for one or two applications are not really meaningful. At most you can test whether the texture feels good. My tip: Invest some time in choosing your new care product and then give your skin the opportunity to adapt.
High Five!
Your Anna
Nourishing oil for dry and mature skin
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Regulating oil for normal to oily skin
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"No cream should have more ingredients than you can count on one hand."
Anna Pfeiffer
