Have you tried the 13-step skincare ritual? I can never remember which steps come next and what comes before. The entire process makes me break into sweats and leads to further breakouts. The cost of obtaining each of these “essential” products, can burn meteor sized holes in your pocket. The glittering cosmetics shops in the mall make us believe that without them we cannot survive. I was literally bewildered thinking which product to choose until I came across the concept of skin fasting. Brace yourself, ladies, skin fasting is a skincare ritual where you don’t use any products. Yes, you heard me right no products allowed.
What is Skin Fasting?
Skin fasting is a Japanese concept introduced by the Mirai clinic. When I first heard of it, I assumed it was one of the latest social media fad. But after a little digging around, I learned it was introduced way back in 2011 and has proper scientific backing. Skin fasting is based on an ancient Hippocrates theory, that by fasting we can naturally rejuvenate ourselves. Our skin, especially till our 30s, has the ability to restore itself if given a chance.
So, during the fasting period, you just go to bed without applying any product, even a moisturizer. Did you just gasp, and think I am a complete lunatic. The 130 million dollar beauty industry has made every woman believe that they cannot survive a day without their products nor can they look beautiful without. Hello there is a thing called natural beauty!!
Over-Dependence on Skincare Products is Bad for Your Skin
Skin FastingThe skin is one of the largest organs in our body, and it breathes on its own and secrets self-nourishing oils and ceramides, and its natural protective barrier, protects the skin from dryness, pollution, mild quantities of UV rays, and cold temperatures. Normally the skin renews every 28 days.
By excessively cleansing with synthetic products, which contain alcohol, and excessive nourishing, we weaken the natural rejuvenating properties of the skin. This leads to sun spots, sagging, pimples, wrinkles and other signs of ageing, which further drive you to use more ‘nourishing’ products, and it becomes a vicious cycle.
Skin FastingExcessive moisturizing inhibits the production of the natural oils and sebum, which leads to loss of moisturization. Our skin gets so much extra stimulation from external products that we should abstain from such aides, give our skin a little break.
Also read: Nighttime Skincare Routine For Beautiful Skin
Koko Hayashi, the creator of Mirai Clinical Body Care has said that “The Japanese have studied the skin’s regeneration on a monthly basis and have proved that ‘skin fasting’ improves your skin’s condition and detoxifies skin impurities.”
The Correct Way to Skin Fast
If you are thinking of trying skin fasting, follow the below mentioned tips.
- Wash your face gently at night.
- Sleep once or twice a month at night without using any product.
- Wash your face with lukewarm water to preserve the oils on your skin.
- Drink 4 liters of water per day.
Things to Remember When Skin Fasting
To go through a successful skin fasting, here are a few tips that will handy:
- Maintain proper humidity in the room, especially during winters. In India, it is not an issue, especially during summers.
- Don’t skin fast if you have serious skin conditions or had skin peeling or other chemical treatments.
- If you aren’t feeling well, do not skin fast.
Pros for Skin Fasting
If you are still not convinced about skin fasting, here is why you should try it.
- It doesn’t take much effort
- Allows your skin to breathes
- detoxifies skin
- Reveal the real issues behind your dermatological problems
Dehydration is the Real Problem, Compensated by Using Innumerable Products
Dehydration is the primary cause of most skin problems. By lowering your dependence on the skincare products you can understand, what is the real reason behind your underlying skin problems like allergy to food items or certain products, or even hormonal imbalance.
Drinking ample water will help to flush out toxins. During the first week of abstinence from skincare products, you might feel your skin going extremely dry and almost flaky, and then it will feel extremely oily, and you can see zits and acne breakouts. These are just all the trapped toxins, but at the end of the week, your skin will feel detoxed and visibly better.
So, stop being reliant on unnecessary skincare products, and rely on the natural healing property of the skin. Give your skin a minimum of 3 weeks’ time to see proper results. Don’t undertake skin fasting before any big occasion or event. Remember that it will not work for everyone, so if it doesn’t don’t lose hope. Skin fasting has really helped, but along with it, you need to eat healthily, incorporating fruits and vegetables in proper quantities, and cutting back on the fried and oily stuff. Skin fasting works on the concept of less is more.
So, this is one of the most fuss-free beauty rituals, you can just stick to the basics of toning, cleansing or the occasional face mask. Ditch the extra time, money and products like exfoliators, serums, creams, and whatnot. For some women, their daily skincare ritual is extremely relaxing and helps them cope with the rest of the day. So, if you are one of them, then please stick to it.
So skin fasting or 13-step beauty ritual: the choice is yours!
