Short answer: perhaps. It all depends on your skin and how big a change you’re making from your previous skincare.
Long answer: let’s break this down. Our skin is a creature of habit and it loves a routine. When you suddenly change the products you have been applying to it – either by adding in products or by changing products completely – you will very often see a reaction in one form or another. This reaction can be either good or bad.
The good type of reaction sees your skin improve, glowing with health and hydration, and a reduction in the skin issue you were addressing e.g. dryness, fine lines, pigmentation.
The bad type of reaction sees your skin do one of two things:
1. You react to the product (e.g. an allergic reaction) and your skin turns red, feels uncomfortable (e.g. itching or stinging) and becomes more dry. In this situation it’s important that you discontinue using the product immediately.
2. Your skin starts to purge - which is more akin to a breakout - pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. This normally occurs in areas in which you’ve had breakouts before.
Let’s talk more about skin purging.
Skin purging occurs because you are speeding up the rate at which things are brought to the surface. This often means that underlying congestion e.g. clogged pores, low-level acne –very quickly makes itself known and causes your skin to breakout.
The best part is that it doesn’t last forever. Skin purges normally right themselves within 4 to 6 weeks (about the length of time it takes your skin to do a full cycle).
It’s worth noting that beauty tools can also cause skin purges. We recently experienced this with a stockist of ours who began using the Moonstone Gua Sha. The tool caused her skin to purge, creating a breakout, which eventually dissipated over a number of weeks. Beauty tools such as gua sha also have the effect of speeding up skin cell turnover by increasing blood flow to certain areas of the face and neck.
What can I do about it?
Firstly, it requires patience. It won’t go away overnight and will only be made worse by picking, changing products again or trying to cover it with makeup.
If you’ve introduced a new skincare routine e.g. you’ve switched from conventional skincare to Clemence Organics, gradually introduce the new products, finishing off your old products one by one, and replacing them with the new products. This will help to lessen the chance of a skin purge.
Ultimately, your skin is a sensitive organ which requires gentle treatment. Look after it well and it will look after your health.
I'm often being asked about Retinol and whether or not I would recommend it. Firstly, let me explain what it is and what it does. Retinol improves skin texture and fights signs of aging by speeding up cell turnover and boosting collagen production.
Main Benefits of Retinol
Reduces fine lines and wrinkles: It stimulates collagen and elastin production to plump the skin and smooth out lines.
Accelerates skin cell turnover: It helps the skin shed dead cells faster, revealing a fresher, brighter, and smoother surface.
Evens skin tone: It reduces melanin production to help fade dark spots, hyperpigmentation and sun damage.
As much as I would love everyone to just empty the contents of their beauty cabinet and start fresh, it’s not practical or affordable for many. So given that one of the most common questions I get asked is ‘where should I start when transitioning to organic skincare’, I wanted to lay out my recommendations.
When going organic, I think it’s good to know not only what to start buying but why. That way you can make informed decisions and know that you’re heading in the right direction.
Lying in bed at 3am, desperate for sleep for come over me, is not how I expected to be spending my Thursday nights. But this is how it seems to be at 45. I’m hot, I’ve taken Panadol about 3 hours earlier to no avail, and I’m hearing every animal noise outside my window (which on other nights I would have slept through). I hate this.
