Will your skin go into "shock" by suddenly switching skin care products?

K

I was at Sephora sampling products in search of a new skin care routine. The salesperson warned me that if I just suddenly switch my cleanser and moisturizer, my skin will go into "shock." Is there any truth to this?

Also, how long should you give your skin to adapt to a new routine or new products? I often love a product for the first few weeks, and then it seems to turn on me.

Thanks for your help!

StarHopper

I don't understand how else you would switch. Gradually mixing the new products with the old? Sounds like marketing gobbledy-gook to me.

Instead, introduce one product at a time and give it a couple days, so if your skin reacts badly, you'll know what's to blame.

Left Brain

There is no scientific basis for the "skin switching shock" myth. Your skin does not get used to products. In fact, your skin is constantly being renewed and the cells that are pushing their way up do not know what was on the surface.
StarHopper makes a good point about introducing one product at a time. It's possible that your skin may react to some chemicals in new products but that isn't because your skin was used to the previous product.

K

Great answers! Very interesting! Thanks for the help!

PurpleRules

I don't think that changing skin products will shock your skin but there is always the risk that there's something in a new product that will irritate your skin or your eyes, or trigger a breakout. On the other hand, if you're checking out new products then you're probably not happy with what you're currently using so you've got to take a bit of a risk. It's not a big deal with hair care products; the worst you're going to have to suffer through is one or two bad hair days. A rash or a breakout can take much longer to clear up so it makes sense to be careful when trying new things. Obviously, you should stop using anything that's causing problems right away but otherwise I'd give a new product a month or so before relegating it to the reject pile. Take a good look at the ingredient list of the products that "turn on you." You might be able to identify common ingredients and then you'll know to avoid them in the future.

K

I have incredibly dry skin. It's not sensitive at all, it just get dry and flaky so easily. I've tried SO many products and have yet to be totally satisfied. Even Cetaphil is WAY to harsh for my skin. I may find that I like a product for a week or two, but then my skin goes right back to being rough, dry and flaky. So weird- and so annoying.

PurpleRules

How often do you exfoliate? I have dry skin too and find that the trick is to exfoliate like mad and then moisturize like mad. I use Cetaphil with baking soda mixed in as an exfoliant 2 or 3 times a week and then I use Nivea Creme as a moisturizer. (This is the stuff that comes in a blue tub. It's dirt cheap and very effective. Greasy too but you can't have everything.) Have you tried "the Wave" by Neutrogena? You can use it every day. The problem with it is that it's flat and your face isn't so it won't get into some hard to reach spots around your nose but does a good job cleansing and exfoliating the areas where it can reach and it's sort of fun to rub a vibrating thing all over your face.

K

I have found that exfoliating really helps- I LOVE mixing baking soda with my cleanser! Such a great trick. I haven't tried the wave, though. Right now I really like J/A/S/O/N Lavender hand and face soap. It's the most gentle cleanser I've tried. Cetaphil leaves my skin so tight and flaky. It kinda leaves a weird film on my skin, too. At least if feels like it. I tried a moisturizer from Sephora that is absolutely amazing and not greasy in the least, but it's $90!!! I personally hate that greasy feeling most intense moisturizers leave- but I may just have to learn to love it.

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