Everything You Need to Know About Slow Skin Care

In recent years, a slow skin care movement has started to emerge, asking us to refocus our attention on the health and wellness philosophy behind holistic skincare, that actively protects and preserves our long-term vitality. Slow skin care also serves as a positive response to the current state of the skin care industry.

Consumers continue to be inundated with an overwhelming number of skincare products and ingredients. The flurry of activity on the part of retailers to churn out fresh and trending skincare products with buzzword-laden ingredients, equals a steady stream of new products developed at an alarming rate. This is problematic for a number of reasons, primarily the fact that not enough time is devoted to clinical studies to back up such buzzworthy claims.

In today’s article, we’ll be covering all facets of the slow skin care movement – the core pillars of slow skin care, as well as skin wellness tips to help you get started.

Why is ‘Fast Skin Care’ Cause for Concern?

As we’ve seen with fast fashion, ‘fast skin care’ is not only detrimental to our wallets and to the environment, but also to our long-term health and well-being. In fact, when faced with too many choices, such as selecting from a multitude of available skincare products and ingredients, we can begin to experience what’s known as choice overload.

When presented with too many options we cannot easily choose between, choice overload impacts our ability to make a good decision, as well as our satisfaction with the final decision. Given this fact, sometimes it’s easier to just go with the flow and follow the trends, than to swim upstream and choose products and ingredients that are actually beneficial to your skin type.

But what if there was an alternative? That’s where slow skin care comes in.

What is Slow Skin Care?

By virtue of the current, fast-paced climate of the skin care industry, consumers are marketed quick fix products and ingredients touting immediate results. However, when the veil is lifted for many cult-favorite products, instant gratification treatments, and extreme procedures, these seemingly miraculous elixirs and offerings turn out to be nothing but empty promises.

In contrast, slow skin care draws upon a holistic approach, focusing on inner and outer skin health and wellness. Rather than apply a band-aid to seemingly ‘fix’ skincare concerns, slow skin care promotes working in tandem with your skin and body’s natural rhythms. It’s about accepting the process of aging, as well as embracing our beauty as we age, as opposed to fighting against these factors.

How Did the Slow Skin Care Movement Start?

The slow skin care movement is rooted in the slow food movement. Born out of a curiosity and intent to be more mindful about the food we eat, the slow food movement stemmed from wanting to know not only what was in our food, but also where the ingredients used to make our food came from and how exactly these ingredients were extracted.

Consumers are shifting away from convenience with regards to skin care products and ingredients (as well as food!), and are now honing in on the big picture of how our products are manufactured. Those in support of slow skin care, also actively seek out companies whose values and beliefs align with their own, in turn creating deeper connections to the products and ingredients they use throughout their daily routines.

What are the Pillars of Slow Skin Care?

There are four primary pillars to consider if you’re looking to incorporate slow skin care as part of your routine. Whether you use one or all four, these provide a solid foundation towards being more mindful about the products and ingredients you use in the short-term, as well as how you treat your skin, body and entire well-being in the long-term.

‘Less is More’

As trendy as the 10-step Korean skin care routine for ‘glass skin’ is on TikTok, not only is it expensive, but chances are, you don’t need 10 different skincare products to achieve beautiful skin. 

Slow skin care means buying fewer highly-specific single-purpose items. Instead, purchasing products that do an efficient job of multitasking and meeting your skin’s needs, is the way to go.

Mindful Self Care Strategies

Trending 10-step skincare routines also create additional stress and overwhelm in our daily lives. A move towards a simpler, and slower skin care regime, translates to creating space for mindfulness and a self care plan throughout the hectic nature of our daily lives. It also offers us a sense of control in a world that offers us very little in terms of control. 

Slow skin care also encourages us to luxuriate in the spaces we create when taking care of ourselves. Not only does it make you feel good in a personalized, sustainable way – but when the body is relaxed, this is reflected in our skin, too.

Consciously Curated Yet Practical, Effective Solutions

Consciously curated means considering all facets of the products and ingredients you use – their sustainability, the brand’s ethical treatment of their staff and workers, as well as the company’s impact on the environment throughout every step of the supply chain.

Practical, effective solutions such as professional skin care tools and advanced skin care technology, also fit in with slow skin care given the way many types of tech work with our skin’s systems. Beauty technology like LED light therapy, iontophoresis, and ultrasound treatments all offer long-term benefits.

Protect and Preserve the Long-Term Vitality of One’s Entire Well-Being

Quick fixes and instant gratification treatments are simply not sustainable for the long-term. A self-care routine that is both personal and sustainable to your skin health and wellness, is a big part of protecting our long-term vitality. The ways in which we choose to take care of ourselves, have deep, and meaningful impacts on how we are able to take care of those around us, too.

3 Tips for Overall Skin Wellness

To wrap things up, we’ve provided you with three wellness tips when it comes to incorporating more slow skin care into your routine, for healthy skin!

Choose Clinically-Proven Products & Ingredients

Botanical ingredients and naturally-inspired formulas that offer stability, sophisticated manufacturing, and proven clinical studies, equal a more simplified approach to beauty and skin health. 

Approach your products and ingredients in a circular manner, by choosing to invest in high-quality products and active ingredients – reduce, reuse, recycle! 

Practice Patience With your Skin

Practicing patience is important when working with your skin. Try your best to not get caught up in the cyclical nature of the skin care industry, as well as ‘fast skin care’ trends that many skin care lovers buy into.

Practicing patience can also mean the time that it takes to see results from the right products. It’s the long-term effects that make or break a product. Typically a month after new use is when the actual results begin to show, so keep that in mind when you’re considering product hopping from brand to brand.

Work With a Certified Skin Therapist

Finally, working with a certified skin therapist can really help you to get clear on your skin care needs and routine. To start, they will examine your current routine, including the products and ingredients you use. 

With Facial Expressions, we review your nutritional health, your genetics, even the weather, to build up a picture of your skin. From there, your certified skin therapist works with you to determine which products and ingredients work best for your skin type, and to build a routine that fits with your skin care needs.

 

Facial Expressions’ Signature FX – Bespoke Facial targets the short-term and long-term needs of your skin, and is completely customizable from start to finish – book yours today!